Pawsteps
by orchidlove123
Summary: One-shot series. Chapter 22: Without another word, her figure began to spiral back up into the sky in a starry whirl, scattering the sky with endless twinkling gems. A chill ran through his fur as he stood there, staring at the sky, trying to imagine how much he wanted to be with her. NEW: Updates once every week.
1. Finished

**UPDATE: I am no longer writing anything else other than this story, so it's my main focus. I had taken a long hiatus, but no more, there will be a new chapter out every week. :) However, if it is to continue on a steady flow, I will need prompts (I accept any and every one and give credit.) Thanks!**

**Now, this is going to be a series of one-shots of sad, happy, or funny times that may have happened throughout certain cat's lives.**

******_Spoilers will happen throughout... I'll put time frames of when certain chapters take place (Never too much spoiled though)._******

Thunderclan, Mousefur &amp; Purdy

After the Great Journey

"Mousefur, have you ever had a thorn stuck right in b'tween your claws? 'Cause once, there was this old, gnarled, tree…" Purdy began on yet another one of his tales.

Mousefur buried her graying muzzle deeper into her mossy nest, trying to block out the sound of Purdy's rambling. She, of all the cats in the hollow, had heard the most of his stories, since she shared a den with him. There were no other elders other than her and Purdy, ever since Longtail joined Starclan.

"Now, I was smart enough to know that I had to get the thorn outta my paw, b'fore it got infected…" He continued, turning over his left paw and examining it, as if the thorn was really there. She sighed in defeat, realizing that once again, she would not be able to escape this tale. Reluctantly, the old she-cat got a little more comfortable and set her green gaze on Purdy.

However, he had stopped talking.

"Continue, Purdy. I'm listening." She mumbled nonchalantly.

"I finished the story, Mousefur." He mused, scratching one of his ears.

"You….finished?" she meowed, dumbfounded, "you've never finished before!"

"Mousefur, I finish all my stories. What's a tale without a great ending? You just haven't always been listenin'." He bubbled, starting to lick his bony flank.

Mousefur felt a little guilt clawing at her heart that she hadn't always paid attention. Well, most of the time.

"Sorry, Purdy…" She murmured, her rough voice echoing off the bramble walls.

"It s'all ok." He purred, playfully batting her left ear. She groaned at his touch, making him laugh, but secretly felt a little warmth inside her old heart.

**I know it was short. Others will be longer.**


	2. Silently

Thunderclan, Sorreltail

During the Dark Forest Battle

"Mommy, mommy! Why are there so many cats outside? They all look so angry!" Seedkit squeaky, burrowing herself deeper into the moss and bracken nest. Lilykit was crouched next to her, her dark tabby fur and white patches contrasting Seedkit's pale ginger pelt.

"It's ok, it's just all the warriors being heroes and saving the clan!" Sorreltail replied, trying to sound hopeful. She already had a few scratches from some cats who had dared to come and battle her. Her ears rang with the screeches an cries of battling cats outside, so she pressed her two young kits farther back into the corner of the bramble den.

"Sorreltail, what's that stench? It smells disgusting!" Lilykit wrinkled her small pink nose. Sorreltail wasn't going to tell her kits what they were smelling, for it was none other than the terrifying, metallic odor of blood. Even though her kits were all the way at the back of the den, she didn't feel that it was safe enough, and decided to play a game of hide and seek with them.

"Lilykit, Seedkit, I have an idea! We can play hide and seek, and daddy will come and find you! I have the best hiding spot." She suggested, plastering a playful smile on her face. The kits nodded and looked up at their mother with their wide, green eyes, waiting for her to show them the hiding place.

"I'll dig a hole under my bedding, and then when you hop inside, I cover you a little with the moss!"

"Ok!" Came their enthusiastic responses. Sorreltail sighed with relief that they didn't object, and started to dig out a little hole. In just a few minutes, the earthy burrow was big enough to hold the two kits spaciously, so she let them scurry inside and placed the bracken and moss nest on top. She left a space open at the top for air, and incase they needed to escape.

Once the job was finished, Sorreltail spun back around to keep watch. However, she was faced with a familiar brown tabby...who had cold eyes and a fractured tail.

"Brokenstar." She hissed, fur spiking up. The Dark Forest cat chuckled, putting one of his blood-stained paws forward. Sorreltail felt a flash of fear run through her as she glanced at his long and sharp claws, but the fire of protecting her kits washed it out. She couldn't let them go to Starclan yet. With a yowl, she threw herself at Brokenstar, digging her claws into his back and clinging on. He tried to shake her off, but finding himself unsuccessful, rammed her against the wall of the bramble den. The impact knocked the air out of her lungs, and thorns scraped against her flank. She lost her grip and was flung to the ground, her soft underbelly exposed. Trying to gulp for air, she struggled to her paws but was pushed back down when Brokenstar leaped on top of her. She shrieked as his claws tore into her fur, ripping skin and letting blood soak her dark ginger pelt.

"And you thought to fight me!" He maniacally laughed, his brown eyes hungry for more.

_I can't let him take my kits!_

With a sudden burst of strength and fury, she pushed back with her hind legs, sending Brokenstar flying. He hit the wall and snarled, suddenly looking more dangerous than before.

"You have no place in this forest anymore!" She screamed at him, shakily getting to her paws. She could feel the warm liquid seeping through her pelt, and the large gashes started to sting and throb.

The evil cat started to walk forward, but his name was called from outside the den. With one last glare at Sorreltail, he sprinted out of the den and into the open clearing.

After that, Sorreltail didn't know much about what was going on around her. Eventually, she noticed that most of the caterwauls of cats in pain had died out, replaced by simple moans. She had tried to lick the blood off her pelt, but found herself unsuccessful as the blood kept trickling. She hated the taste of blood, especially since it was hers.

The world was spinning by the time a familiar face had popped into the opening, calling her name.

"Sorreltail, are you ok?! You're covered in blood! I'll get Leafpool. And where are the kits?" The beige she-cat called worriedly. Sorreltail recognized the voice of Sandstorm.

"No, I'm fine. It's not my blood," she lied, "and other cats need Leafpool more. The kits are hiding under the nest." She mumbled, trying to keep her head up. Sandstorm gave her a sympathetic look before reluctantly turning back to help her clanmates.

_So we must have one the battle...but at great costs. _Sorreltail concluding, resting her muzzle on her blood-stained paws. The pain in her wound had turned to a dull throb, and her breath was steady again. Her eyelids felt heavy, and her vision was edged black. Her ears still rang with the cries of dying cats, even though the battle had finished. Blood soaked the ground where she lay, tainting the earth. She thought of her kits, and how she protected them, and how they were safe.

Silently, Sorreltail let her eyes close, and let go of her last breath.


	3. Stoneteller

**Prompt from TheRealDigiGal. There's an OC in here that I made up for the sake of ease. **

Starclan/Tribe of Endless Hunting, Jayfeather &amp; Half Moon

After the Dark Forest Battle

"Jayfeather, please, stay with me...stay with me!" A voiced echoed around Jayfeather, familiar, but distant. It hit him and he recognized Hollypaw's voice, his apprentice. She was Dovewing's kit, and she had been named after Jayfeather's sister, Hollyleaf. The blind cat was glad to train her to be a medicine cat, for he had grown old, and he had felt it in his bones, ever since Leafpool had joined Starclan.

"Please, I'm not ready yet! I _need_ you, Jayfeather!" Hollypaw cried. What was weird, now, was that the endless black of his vision was edging away, into a bright light.

"Y-you're...ready…" he choked out, his voice barely a whisper. He felt her bury her muzzle deep into his fur, and he enjoyed the last note of warmth that she had left him.

"I'll miss you, Jayfeather."

~…~

Half Moon gazed out upon sunset, standing on the grey stone outcrop of the mountain. She had been here for many, many moons, and most everyone in the Tribe of Endless Hunting knew her as Stoneteller.

Of course, there were many Stonetellers, but once they passed, they returned to being known as their real name. Except Half Moon, of course, for she was the very first Stoneteller.

"Stoneteller," a female cat's voice murmured, "a cat from the lake has joined Starclan."

Half Moon turned her gaze upon the beautiful silver she-cat, who had given her own life to save a home that was not hers.

"Thank you, Feathertail. What was his name?" She asked, her pure white fur glowing in the moonlight.

"Jayfeather."

Half Moon's eyes widened.

_Jay's Wing._

"I must go now, and make an announcement to the Tribe. Please excuse me, and gather all cats at the base of the waterfall." She rushed, a long lost youth growing back inside her. She had been waiting for this day.

A while later, she had positioned herself atop a large boulder, facing all the cats of the tribe who had joined them. There were older cats, others newcomers, and some as ancient as herself.

"Cats of the Tribe of Endless Hunting," she started, her voice flowing as smooth as honey and echoing off the stony walls, "I have made a decision. I am leaving-" gasps of surprise and yowls of protest sounded, almost drowning her out.

"Please, hear me out! I am going to Starclan, home of the passed cats of the Lake. Many moons, I have waited, for a special cat to enter the ranks of Starclan. Now that he has arrived," she paused for breath, "I must go to him."

"Surely, you will visit?" One cat questioned, named Bright Stream. Half Moon hadn't thought about it, but she didn't know yet. She hesitated before answering, "I'm not sure...I hope that I can, but it is a long travel across these skies."

"Who will lead us?" A tom called, his tail tip twitching. Half Moon took a deep breath.

"That is for you to decide, my friends. I cannot choose for you forever." She dipped her head and turned to get off the boulder, but heard a familiar cat speak to her.

"Stoneteller, please, let us thank you, and perform a ceremony." It was her brother. She nodded, tears in her eyes, and stayed on the rock. Her brother stepped forward, and began to speak.

"Stoneteller has guided us, helped us, loved us, and much more, for her whole life. We owe her at least a thank you." He finished, bowing his head, and then turning his head around to touch noses with Half Moon. She struggled to keep the tears from flowing as he leapt off the rock and turned around to face her.

"Thank you, Stoneteller." the murmur repeated and rippled throughout the cave. It became louder, and stronger, that the living cats of the Tribe started to look around in the cave behind them. They could not see them, but there ears were listening to the melodic chorus of voices. She could not stop the rivers of tears now.

"Thank you, my friends. May you have a peaceful time. I will miss you all." And with that last statement, the glowing white she cat leapt gracefully off the rock, and passed through the crowd of cats. She kept going, down the mountain, retracing the path she once followed long, long ago.

_I'm coming, Jay's Wing._

~...~

Jayfeather walked the grounds that he still had yet to learn. He could see, now, the green fields, and he could visit the clans. He could walk among them, but they would not be able to see or hear him.

"Jayfeather, do you want to go hunting?" Lionblaze came up behind him, playfully batting his ear. Jay feather smirked before whipping around and tackling his brother, keeping his claws sheathed.

"Hey, no fair, I wasn't ready!" He fake whined. They stood up, laughing with their fur all ruffled out, before Cinderheart came over.

"You two still act like kits. Anyways, Lionblaze, Firestar wanted to see you." She bubbled. Lionblaze raced over without saying goodbye, as usual, to where Firestar lived. Cinderheart smiled and nodded before dashing off behind him.

Jayfeather sighed, and continued to walk across the field. He was heading over to see the Thunderclan camp, for they were giving Hollypaw her Medicine cat name.

"Jay's Wing!" A beautiful, familiar voice echoed. Jayfeather spun around, seeing a white cat, sprinting towards him. Her wide, orange eyes were full of the excitement of a kit. She bowled him over, and stood over him while he looked up at her from the ground.

"Jay's Wing, I've waited for moons!" She squealed, licking his ear.

_Could it really be..._

"Half Moon?" He wondered aloud. She nodded her head, and stood back to let him get up. His heart fluttered upon seeing Half Moon, and buried his muzzled into her fur.

"I've missed you so much."

~...~

"Hollypaw, from this moment on, you will be called Hollywind. May Starclan light your path." The grey and black she-cat touched noses with her leader, and the rest of the clan. She looked up to the sky, and Jayfeather caught her eye. She nodded to him, and Jayfeather knew that she could see him watching from above. He nodded back, and Half Moon rested her head on his shoulder.

_I can finally be at peace._


	4. Used To

**Still ****need some prompts. Thank you for the already given prompts and for the reviews! **

Thunderclan/Windclan, Lionblaze &amp; Heathertail

After the Dark Forest Battle

Lionblaze set his paws carefully in front of him, trying not to disturb the rabbit he was eyeing through the brush. It nibbled at the grass, biting off little tufts of green grass.

The Dark Forest battle had been about a moon ago, but that still wasn't long enough to cure the grief of cats mourning for their lost kin.

However, there was a good side to all of the chaos. Cats had grown closer together, love being one of the strongest things that helped them survive through the harsh moon of grieving. Not only had the cats grown together, but the entirety of the clans as well.

_I've especially grown closer to Cinderheart…_

Lionblaze shrugged off the thought and brought his concentration back to the rabbit, placing another paw forward. He bunched up the muscles in his hind legs, and made a massive leap, but a small brown cat darted in front of him. Lionblaze twisted his body, midair, in surprise, trying not to land on the cat. He managed land on the grass next to the defeated prey with a loud thud. _That's going to leave a bruise… _he grunted, getting to his paws to confront the stranger.

"That prey was mine, and this is Thunderclan territory!" He snarled, ignoring the thudding start of the early bruise.

The small cat whipped around to face him, her blue eyes narrowed and fierce.

But, also familiar…

...and beautiful.

"I've been stalking it, _Lionblaze_, and it's right next to the border!" She hissed back, dragging the prey back with her paws. He noticed that she must have been hunting alone, like him; he didn't scent any other Windclan cats nearby.

"Heathertail." He murmured, seeing her eyes soften. Lionblaze noticed her muscles relax as she looked down at the ground. He, too, sagged his shoulders and moved a little closer to her.

"This isn't a time to fight...not with all the loss of the battle." He mumbled, settling down next to Heathertail, who had already lain down in the soft grass.

"I know….Lionblaze, do you remember when we were apprentices, and used to play in the underground tunnels?" She breathed, looking out in the distance as if she was seeing the memories happen before her eyes.

"Y-yes." He stuttered, shuffling his paws. Heathertail's fragrance sent chills through his body, only reminding him of how much he used to love her.

_Used to._

"Lionblaze, can't it be like old times? Can't we still love each other?" She pleaded, looking up at him with sorrow. Lionblaze sighed, burying his nose in her soft, beige neck fur.

"Heathertail, we're in different clans, and if we had kits together," he paused, remembering how he felt when he learned he was half-clan, "I wouldn't want them to grow up like I have."

"It's her, isn't it?" Heathertail replied in a sudden sharp tone, the azure color of her eyes flashing with anger.

"Who?" Lionblaze retaliated, although he already knew the answer.

"You're mates with her now! She's probably already expecting your kits!"

"Who's her?!"

"Cinderheart!" She screeched. They were both standing now, facing each other, with their fur bristling.

"She's not expecting my kits, but we are mates, ok?! We are part of the same clan, and that's safest! I'm sorry, Heathertail, but I need to go. You can keep the prey." He hissed, sprinting back into the undergrowth.

"I loved you!" Her helpless call echoed through the forest, and Lionblaze ignored the salty tears that streamed down his face as the wind blew by.

_I loved you too, Heathertail._


	5. Lies

**Prompt from Amberfoot7. Happy New Year!**

Thunderclan/Shadowclan, Yellowfang

After the Great Journey

Her heart hurt, more than it had before. She knew all of them (well, almost all) had been for a good cause...but it still didn't feel right.

And now, she had to do it again.

She remembered when she broke the Medicine Cat Code. And she remembered breaking the Warrior Code. And, in that entire ruckus, a small kit was born, with a fractured tail. That's not where he got his name.

After that, the small, helpless kit, managed to almost destroy the clans. Before long, she committed murder...

...and got away with it.

Yellowfang, so far, had gotten away with every little lie, crime, and sorrow she had created. When she was a medicine cat in Shadowclan, she became mates with the leader, and accidentally had kits. When she kitted, alone, in a moldy, dead tree trunk, her kits died, except one.

That one kit grew up to be Brokenstar, and, as many of you know almost destroyed the forest.

Memories flooded back to her in an icy, sorrowful waterfall.

_Yellowfang deftly scooped the small, deadly berry into her paw, careful not to let her claw get caught and spill the juice._

"_Please, help me…" Brokenstar moaned, his body writhing in agony._

"_Stay still, and I can help you. Now," her voice quivered, "eat these berries."_

_Brokenstar panted as he tried to still himself, and obediently opened his jaws wide enough for the berries._

_With one, small, choked sob, Yellowfang stuffed the deathberries inside his gaping mouth, and gently pressed his muzzle down. Brokenstar winced at the sharp tang, but chewed and swallowed the berries._

"_I'm sorry, my son. I created you, and now...I must end you." She cried. Brokenstar's blind eyes opened wide, and he started hyperventilating. He let a yowl, and his body jerked once, before going limp._

"_I love you."_

Yellowfang shivered, but continued on her way. Once again, she was going to lie, to do "the right thing", as Bluestar had put it.

Yellowfang decided that it was too late to stop lying, for she had already done it so many times before.

"Yellowfang? Is that you?" a female called loudly somewhere in the mist. Squirrelflight, just on time.

"Yes, my darling," she rasped, "now hush down before my ears fall off. You don't have to yowl when I'm right here." she added irritably. The russet she-cat quickly licked her risen chest fur in embarrassment.

"Sorry, Yellowfang. Is this Starclan?" she asked in amazement. Yellowfang rolled her eyes.

"No, it's the Dark Forest."

"What?!"

"Do you not know what sarcasm is?!"

Squirrelflight glared at her, "you obviously haven't gotten any nicer."

Yellowfang felt a little guilt claw at her heart, but she pushed it away.

"Anyways-"

"So, if this is Starclan, am I dead?"

"NO! Now be quiet and listen!" Yellowfang took a deep breath. When Squirrelflight didn't say anything, she continued.

"You know your sister needs your help with the kits, and you want to help her. But you also want to have your own kits."

Squirrelflight kept her green gaze to the ground.

"You must take care of her kits."

"But what about my _own_ life? I want to have kits with Brambleclaw, he's my mate!"

_Here I go again…_

"Squirrelflight, I'm sorry...but you aren't able to have kits." Yellowfang mumbled, her yellow eyes dimming.

"B-but...every she-cat can have kits…"She stuttered, her grassy eyes widening. Yellowfang noticed a few salty tears spill.

"I'm sorry, Squirrelflight. But that's just how this cruel word works…"


	6. Ghost

**More prompts = more chapters. :D Thanks a ton for the reviews, guys!**

Tunnels, Hollyleaf &amp; Falling Leaves

After the Great Journey

"Falling Leaves, where are you?" Hollyleaf called, searching for the calico ghost cat. Upon getting no response, she raced down another dark tunnel. Her fur was all black, and the only thing that gave her away was her bright, forest green eyes.

"Falling Leaves! C'mon, I'm over in the northern passage!" she meowed, the sound echoing off the walls. It went on forever, until it finally came to a quiet end.

No one responded.

"Where are you?!" She worried, her heart thudding.

"Haha!" a rough voice sounded behind her, and paws landed on her back.

"Get...off!" she panted, trying to dislodge the big cat from her back.

"Fine! You're no fun." the tom groaned, jumping off her back. She shook out her night black fur.

"No fun? I'm very fun!" She giggled, leaping and bowling him over.

"Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!"

"Exactly!"

The two cats rolled in a ball of fur on the ground, erupting into fits of laughter. After what seemed to be a moon, they both stood up and tried to catch their breath. Their fur was sticking out at all angles, but they didn't really care.

Falling Leaves turned to Hollyleaf, his amber gaze highlighting his smirk.

"Let's eat, shall we?"

~...~

"Where did you find that?" Hollyleaf inquired, looking at the sparrow in Falling Leaves' jaws.

"It was, strangely enough. just at the west opening. I've never seen a bird enter the tunnels before." he wondered, settling down beside the beautiful black she-cat.

"Must have been chasing a worm." she added, plucking off its feathers. He laughed.

"Chasing a worm? 'cause worms are _so much_ faster than birds." he teased, taking a bite of the prey.

"Oh, stop," she playfully batted his ear, "you know what I mean."

They ate their prey in a peaceful silence, enjoying the warm meat. They decided to use the feathers for their bedding, now that they had some. Their nests were in the biggest cave, with the underground river and little boulder. They slept next to each other, and did almost all of their daily activities together. Falling Leaves, even though he was an ancient ghost, still seemed very real to Hollyleaf. His pelt did not offer any warmth, but his words did.

Whenever he spoke, or rubbed his cold and chilling pelt against hers, she felt warmth spark in her heart. She had seen the same kind of spark in her brother Lionblaze, who had felt that spark for Cinderheart.

_Is that little flame really what love is?_

She wondered if it was possible to be mates with a dead cat.


	7. Somewhere

**Prompts, please. :)**

Starclan, Firestar

After Dark Forest Battle

Firestar wandered through the thick forest, the lush green grass brushing against his belly fur. Golden rays of sunlight peeked through the winding branches of the canopy, lighting his flame-colored pelt and giving him the slightest touch of warmth.

Sometimes, the retired leader wondered if he was the only cat who wasn't satisfied in Starclan. He missed his home, and hunting, talking, seeing the people he loved. He dreamed of the day that Graystripe and Sandstorm would join him, and his daughters, too.

It wasn't only them, but also one of the very reasons he had always wanted to come to Starclan. But, as he had arrived, she had left. She had been killed a second time, by his worst enemy, and she was lost forever. Her soothing mist had dissipated into the screaming air, not leaving even a trace of her sweet pine scent. She had been slaughtered ruthlessly, right in front of his terrorized green gaze. He had seen her throat slit open by none other than the paranoid Mapleshade.

_It's all my fault she's gone._

The insane and evil calico cat had ripped her long and dirty claws through the beautiful she-cat's tortoiseshell fur, staining it red with blood. He had seen her forest green eyes flash him one last blink of love in the midst of indescribable pain.

_Why did she have to leave?_

Voices echoed in his head, along with her never-ending shrieks of agony.

"Please, I need you…" he whispered aloud, looking to the ink black sky. She was gone, and he knew that, for he was already in the endless grassy fields of Starclan.

But, in the pit of his despair, a little voice rasped to him…

...the she was still alive, somewhere.

**Sorry it's short. Cramped that in 30 minutes.**


	8. Reflection

**Hey there! Prompt from echomist66 and Flame. Flame, I think your favorite pairing is….Firestar x Spottedleaf (hahaha jk)**

Thunderclan, Sandstorm

After Dark Forest Battle

_Long, gnarled claws raked across the pelt of flame, exposing the crimson blood and letting it soak his fur. A sand she-cat watched from the edge, staring in horror as the two leaders writhed on the dusty ground. _

_She felt as though the paws that were tearing at her mate's throat were ripping apart her own heart._

_A final screech echoed out among the forest, seeming to stretch as far as the desolate mountains, along with its rushing waterfall._

_Sandstorm took a step forward to look for her mate, peering through the clouds of dust and grime. She spotted a mound of dark tabby fur, ruffled by the wind. Half a second later, the body dissipated into the air, leaving nothing but stains of blood on the ground._

_Cheers erupted from the cats of different clans as Tigerstar's body vanished, yowling in relief that it was finally over. Sandstorm, however, padded on through the dark clearing, until she stumbled on something soft and sticky._

No...please, no...NO!

"Sandstorm, Sandstorm! Wake up, it was just a nightmare!"

"No, Firestar, where are you?! Firestar!" the old she-cat struggled against Graystripe's best efforts. Her teary peridot green eyes shot open to meet Graystripe's calm yellow ones.

"Sandstorm, it's okay. You're alright. Take deep breaths." the grey tom instructed, trying to settle her down. She followed his commands, lying back down in the soft nest of moss.

"Now, what's all this noise? You young'uns best be sleepin'!" Purdy's rusty meow came from the shadowy left corner. Sandstorm instantly felt guilty, as she had kept up the entire elder's den almost every night. Sometimes even the apprentices woke up to her screams.

"I think I should go take a walk. I'm sorry for waking both of you again." the beige she-cat said wearily, standing up and padding out of the den. The cold, crisp night air whistled through her soft fur, sending icy chills down her spine. She bounded out of the the camp with a swift nod to the night guard, Dovewing. She sprinted down in the direction of the lake, blood pounding in her ears. She wound through the dense forest, twisting and winding her way past threes until she reached the crystal mirror of the lake. The earliest rose light of dawn peeked above the horizon, reflecting off the lake along with the various glowing stars.

She finally reached the lapping waves, the smooth pebbles shifting beneath her weight. She felt as though fur was brushing against her pelt, but her mind just told her it was the wind.

Taking a deep breath to silence her heavy breathing, she looked down at her reflection in the water.

Small, grey fish swam around, leaving ripples all over, but she could still see her image. However, there was another pair of green eyes next to hers, along with a darker pelt than hers. She looked next to her, but nothing was there.

"F-Firestar, is that you?" she whispered, looking back down at the reflection.

"Yes, my love. Please, do not worry, for I am safe, and so are you." His murmur stirred in her ears, making her pelt tingle. Peace overwhelmed thee she-cat, and she gazed lovingly as his image slowly faded away.

"I love you, Firestar."


	9. Scream

**Thank you amazing people for reviewing. Enjoy :) (prompts always needed though lol)**

Thunderclan/Dark Forest, Birchfall

During Dark Forest Battle

He didn't know that he was doing wrong; he only wanted to be a better warrior.

"Birchfall, behind you!" A panicked shriek sounded behind him. The cream-colored cat whirled around to face a transparent, mottled she-cat snarling in his face.

"Traitor! You were supposed to help us!" Mapleshade hissed, landing a blow over his eye. He felt blood drip down, chilling his heated breath.

"No, you're the traitor! A _liar_!" Birchfall screamed, jumping on her back. She yowled from under his weight, and he repetitively raked his claws across her spine. He could see the crimson-stained grass through her faint body.

While he was distracted, she rammed him into a tree, knocking the air out of him. Her ferocious, amber eyes glared maliciously at him, and her entire fur was caked and matted with blood.

He stumbled to his paws and ducked right beneath her paw, which only nicked his ear.

"You weakling! You betrayed your leader, to side with the little rodent of a cat, Firestar! You will-"

"Leave him alone!" A streak of grey and white hurled itself forward, bowling into Mapleshade. Birchfall stood up and shook his head, clearing the blood out of his vision. He saw Ivypool, his daughter, battling the wretched she-cat.

Ivypool's silver-blue eyes gave him a quick nod of assurance before he dashed off to help the others.

Birchfall knew that no one would ever trust him again. Except for maybe his friends who trained with. The clans would hate them for siding with the Dark Forest cats, and training with them each night to learn their deadly ways.

But they didn't' know, it wasn't their fault. They just wanted to help their clans!

"Hey there, foxbreath…" A voice crept into his ear. Birchfall whipped around, snarling, to face Hawkfrost.

_He knew all along, and he had been nice to me. He is a liar. A trickster. A manipulator. He deserves to die._

The tom lunged at the bracken-colored cat's throat, trying to rip it to shreds. However, the evil cat sidestepped, crouching down. He prepared to lunge.

Only then did Birchfall notice the powerful muscles rippling beneath his shiny, blood-stained pelt.

"You missed your turn; now it's mine."

_If I die today, I know I died honoring my clan._

Birchfall glanced up, terrified, to see Hawkfrost's ice blue eyes leer straight into his, right as his gnarled, crimson claws sank into his shoulders.

It all happened in slow motion.

The pain, the tears, and his old mentor's sly grin.

Birchfall heard a distant scream, and it sounded quite familiar.

He realized it was his own.


	10. Peabody Pt 1

**Hi- so this chapter is different. It's about an OC of mine based off of my own cat, Peabody. He's passing away, so I wrote this for him. I love him very much and hope he can still get better… anyways, there are a few other OCs and some events that probably didn't happen (not too bad though). Feel free to skip this chapter and the next (it's a two parter). **

Shadowclan, Peabody

After the Great Journey

"_Patches, Patches! Where are you?!" a small, wet bundle of fur meowed. He crouched under a small rock, his peridot gaze frantically searching the marshy forest. The winds blew all around him, sending shivers up his spine. The sky was a inky darkness, with sudden flashes of light amongst the rain and clouds._

_The small kit had lost his mother, Patches, in the storm, along with his sister, Pumpkin. He knew that she had been carried away in the river and drowned. Patches had jumped into the raging current to save her, but once her calico head disappeared under the waves, she never came back up._

"_Hey, you, where is your mother?!" A yowl echoed, reaching Peabody's ears. The black and white kit looked in the direction the voice came in, where he spotted a wet, tortoiseshell she cat. Her eyes were a forest green, wide with worry. A rogue._

"_She...s-she jumped into the river to save my s-sister...she didn't come back!" The kit wailed, curling up tighter. The she-cat approached him with concern in her gaze._

"_I know somewhere warm and dry." she mumbled, bending down and picking up the sodden kit in her jaws and trodding through the undergrowth. The mesmerizing pattern of wet, fallen leaves and marshy grass lulled Peabody to sleep, encasing his vision in darkness._

"Peabody! I caught a sparrow! Wanna share?" A raspy meow awoke the muscular cat, and he rose to his paws. Piper, as old as she may be, still was as alive and healthy as ever- she proved it by catching the early bird every morning...literally.

"Sure. I'll go hunt some more prey more afterwards." The tom smirked, settling down next to Piper.

He didn't remember his mother or sister that much, only their names: Patches and Pumpkin. Piper had raised him for almost as long as he can remember. He owed her his life.

"Piper, You ought to slow yourself down a bit. You're not the young cat you used to be- you might get yourself hurt." Peabody managed to say between bites. Piper just snorted.

"And yet I'm still more fun than you."

"You wanna see fun? I'll race ya to the abandoned fox den!" The black and white cat challenged, standing up with his tail lashing playfully.

Piper stood up with equal energy and nodded."These old bones still have life in them yet!" She spun around and raced out of their small rocky cleft, leaving him in the dust. With a burst of speed, Peabody bounded after, his claws raking up the marshy ground.

Tall, noble pine trees whirled past him as he tried to catch up to Piper. He saw her brown and grey pelt in front of him, making him push harder. He panted past her, grinning as he pulled into the lead. Piper veered and took a right, so he turned to the left. _If I keep going this way, it should bring me-_

"Watch out!"

Next thing he knew, Peabody was on the ground, entangled with a white she-cat.

"Get off of me!" She growled, writhing under his weight. He happily obliged and stood up, shaking the dirt out of his fur. He quickly turned to a defensive stance. In front of him stood four, angry cats.

"Snowbird, are you okay?" A light-brown tabby tom asked the she-cat he had landed on. She nodded a yes.

"What are you doing on our territory?!" A muscular dark-gray cat snarled, baring his teeth and claws.

_Clan cats._

"This isn't your territory, this is the wild!" He spat back, taking a step forward.

A mottled brown she-cat stepped up next to her friend. "We're expanding our territory, and you can't stop us!"

Shock rippled through Peabody. _They can't do this!_

Peabody launched himself at the snarling tom, sinking his claws into his ash-grey fur.

"Scorchfur!" The she cat next to him yowled, hurling herself on Peabody.

As much as he wished to claw off their ears, he knew he couldn't take on all four. He threw himself against a tree, knocking the two other cats off balance. He ripped free of their grip and sprinted, not looking back.

"Ha! You're too scared to face us, you little rogue!" Their insults echoed behind him, but he kept running to the abandoned fox nest. Sure enough, when he got there, Piper sat, casually grooming herself.

"What took you so long? I began to get a little worried." She meowed, standing up to meet him. He waited to recollect his breath to speak.

"Forest cats...they're planning to expand their territory."

"You didn't try to fight them, did you?"

Peabody scratched an ear nervously.

"Peabody!"

"They agitated me! I fled after the second cat got on my back, though…"

"Well that explains the blood marks on your fur." She sighed, checking his small injuries.

They talked for a bit more about the expansion of the clan cats, discussing if they would have to move homes, find new hunting places, etc. However, a strange, foul scent drifted into the air.

"Do you smell that?" Piper asked, tasting the air. Peabody did the same, and he searched the undergrowth for any danger. The stink was coming from the lake, near the clan cat's territory.

"Let's follow it." Piper chided, a smirk showing across her face. Peabody nodded, and the two cats slunk into the woods.

As they drew nearer to the odor, a small clearing opened up, a mound of rocks in the middle.

"It's really strong here….Peabody, look out!" Piper shrieked, alarming the black and white tom. He suddenly felt hot breath on his back, and he whipped around to face a drooling, snarling badger. Pain seared his cheek as the badger raked its claws across his face, barely missing his eye. He took a step back as fear overwhelmed him, his gaze frozen to the wretched animal. Tortoiseshell fur flashed in front of him, and Piper latched herself onto its back, raking her claws down its spine. It yowled in fury and threw her off its back, sending her flying into the thick bark of a tree.

"Piper!" Peabody screamed, his ears flicked back. The badger lumbered over to its victim, bending down to slash at her. Peabody raced forward to try and intercept the blow, but he was too late. Its gnarled claws connect with Piper, ripping open her belly fur.

"NOOO!" Peabody shrieked, tears watering his eyes. The badger raised its paw for another blow, but the furious tom sprinted up in front of it, snarling with all means of killing the animal.

With a battle cry, he hurled himself onto its back, and continued to claw its back, finishing what Piper had done. The badger tried to throw him off, but Peabody sunk his claws deeper. He reached out with a paw and scratched its face, aiming for the eye. He must have his his target, for the badger cried out in fear, and tried to shake the cat off. Peabody scratched his eye one more time before the badger became successful. With a thud Peabody landed on the ground, and he staggered back up to see claws rake across his face. _An eye for an eye._

He rolled out of the way, squeezing his eye shut. The tom could feel the warm blood dripping down his face.

Peabody scratched its paw, leaving a mark that was sure to badger turned tail and ran, limping its way into the darkness.

After making sure it was gone for good, Peabody turned and stood up. He limped as fast as he could over to where a bleeding she-cat laid.

"Piper!" He rasped, spitting blood as he spoke. Blood sat in a scarlet puddle below her, soaking her fur. She feebly turned her head to look at him. Pain and love swirled in the green of her gaze, and she managed a small smile.

"I still beat you in the race, Peabody."

"Piper…"

She coughed up more blood. Tears blurred Peabody's vision.

"I love you Peabody. Stay strong for me, okay?"

"Piper, please, don't talk like that! You're not going to die!" He blurted, and he began to shout for help. His screams echoed into the dense forest, but no response came.

"Peabody, stop. You're wasting your breath." She rasped, looking concerned. With a stinging throat, he listened and looked at Piper, salty tears mixing with blood.

"Don't leave me, please…" he pleaded, small sobs escaping his mouth. Piper smiled and started to speak, but only coughed up more crimson. He flinched, and buried his muzzle in her sticky fur.

"Shh, shh...it will be okay, Peabody. It will all be okay…" she murmured, leaning her head back. Her shallow breaths became slower, and after what felt like years, it stopped.

"...Piper?" Peabody meowed, sitting up.

No response.

She didn't move, didn't open her eyes, didn't breathe.

"Piper!"

Nothing.

"Say something, please! Tell me you're okay! Piper!"

He sat there and cried into her fur as it grew cold. He yowled and cried and sobbed until his voice was no more, and only then did he begin to drift into sleep.

The next day he awoke, and began to groom her fur. By sunhigh her pelt shined in the sunlight, and he bent down to carry her over his back. He stumbled drearily along the path until he came next to the river, where he gently set her down and began to dig a hole. He then gently laid her in, making her look as peaceful as ever. Every pawful of dirt broke his heart a little more as he covered her, and he cried silent pain as her body slowly began to disappear.

When he finished, he settled down next to her grave and mourned, not eating or drinking or barely even moving. He changed his position maybe once.

~...~

After two days of mourning, Peabody knew he needed to leave. He hunted for hours, only managing to catch a small squirrel. He only ate two bites, then continued on his way.

He had no direction, no hope, nothing. For days he wandered without purpose.

He was hungry, thirsty, sick, and delirious, but he did nothing to help himself. He didn't try to clean the dried blood off of his fur, and he kept his right eye shut. He was sure that his wounds were infected.

Peabody looked up, and realized he was in unfamiliar territory, and strange scents attacked him.

"Hey, who are you?" A small voice said from behind him. He spun around frantically only to see a small, tabby tom behind him. His vision wavered, and he had no voice to reply.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?" He offered, taking a step forward. Peabody managed a small nod before his knees buckled below him.

"Oakfur, get help!" was all he heard before darkness ensued.

~...~

Dawn light filtered in through the walls of the den, and strong scents of different herbs hit his nose. His right eye was still shut, and his whole body ached. He closed his eyes again.

"Littlecloud, he's awake! The strange cat is awake!"

A small, squeak of a voice.

"Hush now, you need to keep still if you want this thorn out of your paw."  
The small, friendly cat..

"Thanks, Littlecloud!" the voice meowed again, and small pawsteps scampered out of the den.

The heavier ones, but still small, came closer to him, and he forced his one good eye open.

"Don't worry, it will heal. Just give it time." The little cat motioned to his shut and swollen eye. Peabody tried to stand up, but the cat pushed him back down.

"You need to rest, so I hope you have patience. You may be here awhile yet."

Peabody nodded, and managed a small whisper against his hoarse voice, "Who are you?"

"Oh! I forgot. My name is Littlecloud. I am the medicine cat for Shadowclan, which is where you are."

_He's a clan cat!_

"Thank you, for helping me. My name is Peabody."

"Well Peabody," he smiled, sitting down, "welcome to Shadowclan."


	11. Peabody Pt 2

**Sorry that it's so long. I just really want to do this for Peabody.**

Shadowclan, Peabody- One Moon Later

"Right...how wide can you open it now?" Littlecloud inquired, examining his still swollen eye. Peabody stretched it so about half of his green eye was visible.

"That's it, huh?" The small tom mumbled.

"Yeah."

"It will just take time. Until then, let's change out the poultice on your other wounds." He smiled. Peabody laid down while Littlecloud chewed the leaves and began to pad them down onto his pelt. It stung a little bit- it was taking forever for the infected wounds to heal.

He had stayed with Shadowclan for the last moon, and he was restless. Still, however, he had no desire of going back to his and Piper's den, her grave, or anywhere near it. He tried his best not to think of her, either.

Heavy pawsteps entered the medicine den, causing Peabody to crane his neck to see who it was.

At the entrance stood Rowanclaw, who had learned to be the deputy. During time there, Peabody had learned the ways of the clans, and that there were more than one. They were nothing like he had originally thought- sure, they could be cold, and there were a lot of cats who didn't take a liking to him, but they were nicer than the other rogues he had gotten in squabbles with before.

"How are you, Peabody?" The ginger tom asked, sitting down.

"Better, thanks. Rowanclaw...I've been here for a while now, and I feel bad for eating your prey and using your herbs. I was wondering,with Littlecloud's permission, if I could hunt for you?" Peabody asked shyly. It was true; he had felt bad about his long stay there. He had offered to go many times, but Littlecloud was persistent that he stay until he was completely healed.

"Sure, if you want. That would be really helpful. Leaf-fall has started, which means Leaf-bare is coming soon." He responded, looking a little surprised. Eagerly, Peabody looked to Littlecloud for an ok.

"Fine, you can hunt, but no fighting, and keep it easy. You don't want to open up your wounds again." He groaned, finishing the poultice. Peabody got to his paws, excitement bubbling up. He had only walked around the camp, but never been farther.

He followed Rowanclaw out of the den and into the clearing, where small groups of cats were clustered. He recognized all of them now but still couldn't remember their names.

"Crowfrost, Toadfoot, Olivenose, come over here! We're going on a hunting patrol!" Rowanclaw called, and three cats came over. He hadn't really talked to any of them before.

"In case you didn't know," the deputy continued, "This is Peabody. He volunteered to help us hunt."

"We don't need help, rogue." The black one snarled, glaring at Peabody.

"Crowfrost! Be nice!" A pretty, tortoiseshell she-cat growled. She stepped up to Peabody, her green eyes shining with friendliness. She looked so familiar.

"Hi, I'm Olivenose," she bubbled, the sweet scent of lavender drifting off of her in waves, "It's nice to meet you. Ya know, my mom was a rogue, so you and I have something in common." Peabody smiled, but still couldn't get over how he felt like he knew her. Maybe he had seen her mother once, if she was a rogue.

The five cats headed out of the camp and into the pine forest, keeping quiet pawsteps and eyeing for prey.

"Let's spit up. Toadstep and I will head towards the border, but you three can keep heading straight." Rowanclaw suggested, heading off in a different direction.

"I'm hunting on my own." Crowfrost snarled as soon as the deputy was out of earshot, spinning around and stalking off. Olivenose just shrugged her shoulders, and we continued off into the forest.

"I apologize for Crowfrost's behavior. He isn't the happiest cat in the clan, if ya know what I mean." she smirked, a playful look in her eye. She was very pretty.

_And so dang familiar!_

The two cats talked for a bit, until they came upon some prey. Peabody caught a shrew and Piper a frog, and she showed him some new techniques to hunting.

"Thanks for showing me this, Olivenose. You're really kind…"Peabody stuttered nervously, his ears heating up. Hers turned pink as well.

"No problem...I can show you some fighting techniques sometime." We laughed a little, walking aimlessly for a bit. We came upon the river.

"Let's follow it for a bit, there are usually a lot of shrews along the shore." the tortoiseshell she-cat meowed, her nose pointing to the river. Peabody nodded his head, and they kept going down. The territory was all unfamiliar; he never dared to cross the borders before. But suddenly, he started to recognize trees and rocks farther down the river.

"Wait a second…" He murmured, looking around suspiciously.

"What?"

Without giving an answer, Peabody bolted ahead, racing along the river.

"Peabody, wait!" Olivenose called, panickedly running after him. Being a little faster than him, she caught up. "Peabody, stop! We're over the border! This is rogue territory!"

"It's my territory!" He panted back, pushing forward with an extra burst of speed.

He scrambled to a halt next to a patch of dirt by the river, air coming in ragged breaths. Olivenose caught up and stood next to him, her eyes wild, "This isn't Shadowclan territory! Where are we?!"

He waited to gather his breath so he could speak calmly, then laid down. Olivenose settled in beside him.

"This is-" he stopped, wondering if he could even manage to say her name aloud without breaking down. "-this is my mother's grave. She died a moon ago."

"Peabody, I'm so sorry…" she meowed, lowering her head. His heart twisted in half.

"My father, Smokefoot, was mates with a rogue she-cat. The clan shamed him for that, for it was against the warrior code. He told me that she was very pretty, and that look almost exactly like her. He never told me her name, though, because he feared I would try to go and find her. I have only one memory of her: her forest green eyes looking down at mine while carrying me across the snowy forest."

"That must have been tough, not knowing your mother." he sighed sympathetically, putting his head on his paws.

They laid there for a few more minutes, both their minds taking a trip down memory lane.

"We should get going," Olivenose mumbled eventually, rising to her paws, "the others might start to worry."

"Right. Let's go. I know the way to the border from here, but you'll have to show me how to get back to camp from there." Peabody stated, rising to his paws and giving his fur a shake. With one last longing look at Piper's grave, he bounded off into the twilight of the forest.

_**~...~ **__2 Moons Later __**~...~**_

"I'm gonna miss you, Peabody. You've been a great friend." Littlecloud mumbled, lowering his head.

"I will miss you too. Thank you, for everything." Peabody replied, bowing his head. He stepped out of his den, where the rest of the clan was waiting. With a sinking feeling, he realized Olivenose wasn't there. She was probably out hunting.

His wounds had completely healed, so he was free to go.

Go where?

He wasn't sure.

He had become friends with most of them, and they had all grown accustomed to him. He and Olivenose had...become close, and he would miss her the most.

"Peabody, make sure you come visit. You are always welcome here." Rowanclaw grinned, cuffing him around the ear. Even Blackstar, who had been feeble and barely came out of his den the past three moons, came to say goodbye.

After saying goodbyes, I'll miss yous, and thank yous, Peabody exited the camp, holding his breath. When he first arrived in Shadowclan, all he wanted was to get back out. But now, it was hard for him to leave.

He had made it about halfway to the border when he heard someone calling after him He turned around to see a beautiful she-cat running after him.

"Peabody!" She gasped, crashing her muzzle into his fur. He rubbed his head on hers, and their tails entwined.

"Olivenose…" He murmured, drawing in her lilac scent. He would miss her the most.

"Please, don't leave. Stay with me, I can't be without you." She whispered, looking desperately at him. His healing heart tore in half.

"I can't. They wouldn't let me, I'm a rogue. I'm sorry." He sighed, looking into her beautiful peridot eyes.

At first, they had been friends, but they both had feelings for eachother before long.

He didn't know he would ever be so happy after Piper died.

"Then we can meet in secret." She stated firmly, all seriousness in her expression.

"No, we can't. They would find out. I don't want you to be shamed like your father. I don't want you to go through that!" He declared, biting his tongue so he didn't accidentally say yes.

"At least once a moon?" she insisted, taking a step back.

He groaned and gave in.

"Meet my by the abandoned fox den outside of territory at the half moon?" She asked, starting to turn back. He stiffened, but nodded his head anyways.

"Goodbye, Olivenose. I'll see you then."

"Bye Peabody." she smiled, racing back to the camp. He watched her until her shining pelt disappeared, then continued towards the border.

His paws trekked across the pine-covered floor until he came upon the river. He followed it until he passed the border, then kept going.

When he reached Piper's grave, he settled down next to it and laid his head on his paws.

"I miss you, Piper. I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you yet, minus the one time I was with Olivenose." He meowed, staring at the single flower that had started to grow on the dirt.

He didn't receive an answer. Not like expected one.

"After you died," he continued, "I take care of myself for days. Luckily, I ran into a nice clan cat called Littlecloud right before I passed out. I didn't wake up for days. But when I did, I was in a clan. Shadowclan, to be exact. Did you know there was more than one clan? There's actually four!" Peabody went on, recalling the past three moons.

He fell asleep there that night, next to his best friend and mother, as he always had.

_**~...~ **__Four Half Moons Later __**~...~**_

Peabody was going to do it. With Olivenose's permission, and he was sure she'd say yes, he was going to ask Blackstar to join Shadowclan.

He had been meeting her, like they planned, but it wasn't enough. And it wasn't just her he wanted to be with, but Littlecloud, Toadfoot, Applefur, and others. They were all kind. Here, back as a rogue, he was lonely. He visited Piper's grave every now and then, telling her about recent events and such, but he never had anyone to talk to. All he did was survive, and it wasn't that hard, thanks to what she had taught him.

"Peabody!" A sweet voice broke his thoughts, and he turned around to see Olivenose.

Getting no response, she gave the black and white tom a worried look, "are you okay?"

He sighed and took a breath.

_Here goes._

"I need your help, Olivenose."  
"What do you mean?"

"I want to join Shadowclan."

Her eyes widened in shock, but soon changed to joy.

"Peabody, are you serious?! That...that's amazing!" she purred, cuffing his ear with her paw.

"So, you're okay with me asking Blackstar?"

"Okay with it, I love it! Of course! There's still daylight out, let's go ask now!" she exclaimed, racing off back to camp. He sprinted after her with a grin, his heart fluttering.

He prayed that Blackstar would say yes.

"Peabody! What are you doing here?" Littlecloud burst out from outside the camp.

"I'm gonna ask Blackstar to let me join Shadowclan!" He explained happily, not stopping to chat. He slowed down when he reached the entrance to the camp, where Olivenose was waiting. She flashed a smile of encouragement before stepping inside. A knot of anxiety gripped Peabody as he placed his paw in front of the other.

Rowanclaw was in the middle of the clearing, putting together the dusk patrol. When he saw Peabody, his eyes went wide; other cats followed his gaze and repeated the action. The deputy continued to organize the patrol before padding over to him and Olivenose.

"Peabody! What are you doing here?" He asked in a friendly tone, but Peabody still saw suspicion in his eye.

"I...wanted to ask you and Blackstar something." The black and white tom stammered nervously, trying to sound confident.

"Well, I'm right here, so ask away."

Peabody drew in a slow breath.

"I want to join Shadowclan."

Moments that seemed like decades passed before the russet tom spoke again.

"I'll go ask Blackstar. Wait here. Olivenose, go catch up with the dusk patrol." He stated firmly, whipping around towards the leader's den.

"I'll be back as fast as I can. Good luck." Olivenose smiled sympathetically at him before running back off into the forest.

He watched her go before turning back to stare at Blackstar's den. After a few minutes of waiting, he scanned the camp for his friends. He spotted Toadfoot at the other end of the camp talking to Snowbird, and Applefur disappearing into the warrior's den. Crowfrost stood next to the apprentice's den, giving him a cold, hard stare. Peabody shrugged it off- he couldn't win every cat's appreciation.

More time passed, and the setting sun finally disappeared behind the pine trees, causing the twilight darkness to blanket the hollow. The dusk patrol returned, Olivenose in the behind. She jogged up to Peabody with hope on her face, but when he shook his head, it faded.

"No response yet?"  
"Nope."

"I'll wait with you. Want to share some prey?" she sighed, sitting next to him. He shook his head.

"No, I don't want to steal food from a clan I'm not part of."

She blinked in understanding and went off to pick a small bird from the pile. She ate half of it quickly, and offered the rest to Smokefoot, who took it gladly. She joined Peabody, and they both waited in a misty silence.

"Peabody." A voice rang out, coming from the leader's den. Peabody looked to the den, where the proud white tom stood. He beckoned him up with his tail, and Peabody obeyed, smiling a little at Olivenose. "Come in here." he ordered, motioning the black and white tom to follow him inside.

Rowanclaw was already waiting in there, sitting down, along with Littlecloud. Peabody must have missed him coming back from gathering herbs.

"I understand that you wish to join the clan." The leader clarified sternly, staring Peabody in the eyes. "We never bring rogues, loners, or kittypets in to Shadowclan, and we were never planning on it. Now Littlecloud, Rowanclaw and I have talked it over...and we realize that you do not want to join Shadowclan for your own safety or food, but you want to be an active member. We respect that."

"We decided that if you want to join, you have to pass a test." Rowanclaw continued after his leader.

"A test?" Peabody swallowed, shuffling his paws nervously.

"Yes. We will test you on your hunting skills and fighting skills. If you are good enough, you will be trained as an apprentice here. If you surpass our expectations, you will be given a full warrior name." LIttlecloud explained, quirking his mouth up sideways.

"When is this test?"

"You choose- tonight or tomorrow at dawn."

_Best to get this over with._

"I choose now."

A small chuckle escaped Blackstar's mouth. a pointed tooth poking out. "Alrighty then. First, your hunting. Go out and find as much prey as you can. We will be watching from the shadows."

With a nod, Peabody briskly exited the den and raced out to the forest. He thought of where to look for the best prey.

"_Let's follow it for a bit, there are usually a lot of shrews along the shore."_ Olivenose's voice rang in his head, making his pawsteps turn towards the river.

He padded along quietly, and it wasn't long before he heard small scuffling noises. He immediately dropped into a crouch, tasting the air to find his prey's location. It's scent lead to under a nearby cattail bush, and he creeped up on it, facing the wind so it didn't carry his scent. When the tom got close enough, he was able to see the shrew's brown paws scratching at a patch of dirt in the bush. He pounced, and with a quick bite to the neck, killed it.

_One down, a lot more to go._

He was able to catch one more small shrew before he veered off towards the trees, where he tasted the air for squirrels in mice. Instead, he picked up something different- sparrow.

He spotted it on a low branch, trying to crack open an acorn. He slunk around to the back of the pine it was sitting on and began to climb up, trying as hard as possible to not make a sound. He was almost ready to pounce when something below him stepped on a twig. Alarmed, the brown left its acorn and flew away.

"Mousedung!" he cursed, jumping down from the tree. He looked around to see what scared the bird off, but saw nothing. Shrugging it off, he continued forward, searching for more prey.

He was able to catch two mice and a squirrel by the time Blackstar, Rowanclaw, and Littlecloud appeared from their hiding places. He placed down the the squirrel where he had buried the rest of his prey and waited for more instructions.

"How did I do?" He asked eagerly, looking at the three cats.

"Very well. You caught more prey than they average cat does on a hunting patrol. The only mistake you made was not trying to jump and catch the sparrow when it flew away after Littlecloud stepped on the twig to scare it off." He stated, making Peabody's instomah twist.

He followed the three cats to the training clearing, where Rowanclaw was put to face him- both cats were to keep claws sheathed. It was now almost moonhigh, and the only light was the peaceful glow of the white orb in the sky.

Peabody and Rowanclaw paced circles around each other, waiting for the other to attack. Finally, with a smirk, Rowanclaw lunged forward. Peabody sidestepped and aimed a sheathed paw at his side, landing a blow.

The fight continued, and both cats were eventually covered in dust and stood, panting, facing one another with fierce expressions.

"Alright, alright, we've seen enough. Thank you, Rowanclaw and Peabody. We will discuss this and let you know our decision in the morning. Until then, Peabody, you may sleep in the warriors den. We will see in the morning.

"Thank you, for giving me a chance." Peabody breathed, starting back towards the camp. He slunk into the warrior's den when he arrived, and scanned the den for an empty nest. A single tortoiseshell head popped up, beckoning him to the empty next to herself. With a grateful bow of his head, he settled in beside Olivenose and closed his eyes. He easily slipped into sleep, his and Olivenose's tails entwined.

_**~...~**_

"Peabody." a quiet, firm voice whispered to him. He opened up his eyes to see Rowanclaw leaning over him. He looked to his left to see Olivenose curled into a tight, tortoiseshell ball. Peabody stood up gently and tried to make his way out of the den without waking any cats. He accidentally stepped on Starlingwing's tail, who huffed and tucked it tighter without opening his eyes.

He followed Rowanclaw into the clearing where the dawn patrol was, and Blackstar and Littlecloud were waiting.

"There will be a clan meeting this morning. Once all the cats awake, we will call them forward, and you will learn our decision then. Until then, you will be part of the dawn patrol." the deputy meowed, walking back to the leader's den.

With a sudden surge of energy that battled the morning sleepiness, he trotted over to the dawn patrol to figure out what he was doing.

_**~...~**_

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the rock for a clan meeting." Blackstar's voice rang out among the clearing, and the majority of the cats joined beneath the rock to listen to their leader.

"As you know, Littlecloud found a dying cat in our borders 6 moons ago. We helped him heal, and he helped the clan by hunting for us. Now, as you may have noticed, he has come back, and asked to join Shadowclan." he paused, scanning the small crowd of cats. Most of them had happy expressions on their faces, others unsure, and just a few angry.

"Littlecloud, Rowanclaw and I have discussed this. Last night, we tested Peabody in his hunting and fighting skills. He surpassed our expectations. So with the permission of the clan, Peabody will join Shadowclan and become a true warrior." Blackstar's voice rang out. Excitement surged inside of Peabody, and he quickly scanned the cats among him. Most of them were staring at him, others at Blackstar. A few of them looked happy and as excited as he was, and the rest all shuffled their paws nervously. His heart sank. Why had he even thought in the first place they would want him here?

"Peabody should join Shadowclan." A stern voice rang out. He spun round in shock to see Crowfrost standing behind him, looking around to the clan.

"He is a strong hunter and fighter who does not look to please his own needs. He truly wants to help the clan. Our clan is also the smallest clan right now, we need all the warriors we can get." The black tom finished, sitting down and wrapping his tail neatly over his paws.

The Shadowclan cats now looked at Crowfrost, and most of them nodded their heads in agreement. Peabody blinked him his thanks.

"It is decided. Peabody will join Shadowclan. Peabody, if you will come up here please." Blackstar meowed, smiling slightly.

"Peabody, you showed that you were ready and had the ability to be a warrior for us last night. It is time for you to become a warrior."

His body trembled, but he did all he could to look and sound confident.

"Peabody, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and serve the clan until your body lets you no longer?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I grant you your warrior's name. Peabody, from this moment on, you shall be known as Darkwind. You have had many troubles that covered your past, but your heart has lead you to your true home. Welcome to Shadowclan." he purred. Darkwind reached forward and touched noses with his new leader, causing the clan to erupt into joy.

"Darkwind! Darkwind! Darkwind!" The cheered, faces bright with welcome. Darkwind purred and leapt down into the small group of cats, straight to Olivenose. She purred and rubbed her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, Darkwind."

_**~...~ 2 Years Later**_

"Ha! Gotcha!" a tortoiseshell-and-grey she-cat boasted, getting off of Darkwind.

"Stormsong! How many times do I need to tell you that you aren't an apprentice anymore?!" The black and white tom growled playfully, looking at his daughter.

"I got you too!"

Darkwind winced as another heavy weight landed on his back.

"Rainwish!" He groaned, spinning around to face his other daughter. Her night black fur contrasted starkly with her grey and white paws. Both her and her sister had their mother's green eyes.

"Let them play, Darkwind. They're still young." Her sweet voice purred, and he turned to see his beautiful mate.

"They need to learn to grow up, Olivenose." He pressed, letting her lavender scent wash over him.

"Well, they can have fun doing it!" She giggled, light catching her forest green eyes.

"Fine. But only if I can join!" He pounced in between of the siblings, lashing his tail playfully. They squealed and bounced out of the way, and it all turned into a play fight.

"Olivenose! Come quickly!" Applefur's meow rang out across the small area in the woods, causing them all to turn around.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"It's Smokefoot. He's….not doing so well."

Darkwind's heart instantly sank. Smokefoot, Olivenose's father, had been not doing so well very recently. She had been down about it, but Rainwish, Stormsong, and himself had been working to help her feel better.

Olivenose raced out of the clearing and towards camp, fear coming off of her in waves. He looked at his daughters before they ran after her. When they reached camp, they were told she and her brother, Owlclaw, were inside the medicine cat den with their dying father. After an hour of waiting, the two siblings came out. Both of their eyes were red and shoulders slumped. He stepped forward to comfort her, but she turned away and headed out of camp. With an understanding sigh, he walked into the medicine den to help Littlecloud move Smokefoot's body. The black tom lay peacefully in a moss nest, looking eerily asleep. Littlecloud put him on his back, and he carried him out, laying him gently in the center of the camp. Owlclaw and a few others sat down and mourned, touching their noses to his fur. Darkwind decided to go look for Olivenose. He exited the camp, thistles brushing against his thick fur. He followed Olivenose's sweet scent almost all the way to the lake, where he found her. She was sitting on the shore, looking at the setting sun reflecting on the glass mirror of water. She didn't stir when he approached her, only a flick of her ears.

"Olivenose….I'm so sorry for your loss. He's in the clearing now, would you like to come mourn with me?" he asked calmly, sitting beside hr. She didn't answer the question.

"He told me something...and that he loved me very much."

_What?_

"He told me my mother's name."

Silence passed between the two cats, before she spoke again.

"Yes, I will go mourn with you."

And with that, they traveled back, wearily, to mourn for her father.

_**~...~**_

After that, Darkwind's life carried on quite normally. His daughter, Stormsong, ended up becoming deputy, Her sister, Rainsong, became mates with Starlingwing, and they had three healthy kits. He and Olivenose continued to grow older, and they eventually joined the elders den.

Soon, greencough and whitecough swept the lake, and Olivenose caught it. In her dying moment, she told him something.

"My mother's name….was Piper."

So many questions raced through his mind as he comforted his dying mate. He didn't ask a single one.

"Darkwind...do you remember when we first met?"

He nodded his head.

"I was telling Crowfrost off for being a jerk."

"Mhhm. And I immediately fell in love with you." he whispered, entwining their tails. She smiled and closed her eyes.

She did not open them again.

"_Who...who are you?"_

"_My name is Piper. I will take care of you now."_


	12. Hearing

**Hello. My wonderful cat named Peabody did pass away a couple months ago…he truly was a special cat. I miss him very much and he will always be my little warrior.**

**I recently moved to a different country (quite a difficult process), and so there has been much stress of packing, and just…moving stuff. **

_**Amberleaf4273- **_**Thank you so much for all of your comments and encouragement! They really keep me going. Thank you!**

_**RiverWillow-**_ **This one is about Snowkit, sorry for taking so long! Thanks for the request!**

**Enjoy. :) Prompt by RiverWillow.**

Thunderclan, Snowkit

I can hear now. It's quite nice, up in Starclan, with all of the birds singing, leaves rustling, and rivers flowing. I wish I had been able to hear when I was in Thunderclan, and then maybe I could have had more fun with my friends. Maybe I could still be alive.

However, I do think Starclan is better. Sure, sometimes cats from different clans will get in little arguments, but everyone here works together and not separately. I think that is really nice. When I first arrived here, it was Moonflower who brought me. She's really nice, and she's also Bluestar's mommy. There was another kit with her named Mosskit, and she is really nice.

Mosskit became my best friend. She explained that she had died in the snow because she got to cold, and I laughed a little. She did too. When I told her I was carried off by a hawk, she got a little scared. I told her it wasn't that bad because I don't really remember what happened.

"Snowkit, Mosskit! Do you want to come hunting with me?" A deep voice came from across the clearing. I recognized it as Shellheart, Oakheart's father, and Mosskit's grandfather.

Mosskit and I quickly agreed and sped over to the dark tabby tom, racing ahead of him into the trees. As soon as we got deep enough into the forest, we started to taste the chilly air. Multiple scents came across my nose, hinting the taste of squirrel and mouse. I dropped into a crouch and started to very cautiously creep through the bracken. My white pelt, unlike Mosskit's, stuck out like a thick cloud in the dense green forest. Hers blended in perfectly with the mix of browns and greens making it easier for her to hunt.

"Let's trap it," I suggested to my friend, and she quickly nodded her head. She crept along the forest floor until she was south of the rabbit. When she flicked her tail to signal she was ready, I bolted in the direction of the squirrel, causing it to drop its acorn and run straight into her paws. She gave it a quick nip to the neck, making it go limp.

"Yes! We did it!" She rejoiced, staring down at our freshkill.

"Nice job, you two," Shellheart congratulated, padding up behind us, "I think you two are getting better at hunting than I thought!"

"Thanks Shellheart!"

~…~

In Starclan territory, I found a little cliff that overlooks the clans. I don't think I was supposed to know about it, but sometimes I will go there at night and look at my friends. They all seem happy, and I'm not sure that me being gone had affected their happiness. Sometimes I get sad about that, but other times I'm just happy that they are happy. Most of them are all warriors now. I think it's kind of funny that if you die a kit, you cant grow up in body or name, but you can in your mind. Mosskit would probably be a warrior now, and I would probably be an apprentice.

"Snowkit, what are you doing up here?" Mosskit's cheery voice sounded behind me, causing me to whip around. My snowy fur fluffed up in the embarrassment of being caught, but I knew she wouldn't tell. I explained to her that I like to check up on my old friends, and my mom. I told her I missed them very much, but I wasn't sure if they missed me.

"I'm sure they do, Snowkit. No one could forget you. You're awesome!"

"But…they seem to have forgotten me. Like I never existed."

"But you did exist! You still do exist!"

"But I'm dead."

"But but but, you're so full of buts! You need to stop over thinking it."

"Am I really over thinking?"

"Yes!

"But wh-"

"No, more, buts!"

"Alright." I sighed in defeat, still questioning if they ever thought about me. As we sat in awkward silence together, we noticed Bluestar and Speckletail walking out of the elder's den.

"Hey, that's my mom…and you mom! I wonder what they're talking about…" She muttered curiously. We both leaned closer to the edge of the cliff, trying to hear the conversation. Suddenly, a butterfly flew up in front of my nose, spoking me and causing me to fall off the cliff.

"Snowkit!" Mosskit called frantically. I screamed back, but I was past the barrier, and she couldn't see me. I watched her jump in after me. We were both falling, falling, falling closer to the surface. I embraced myself for the thudding impact of the grown, ready for a world of hurt. However, after opening my screwed shut eyes, I noticed I was already on the ground- without an ounce of pain in my body. Mosskit landed next to me, her eyes wide with fear and excitement.

"We're back in the clan!" She whispered joyously, her tail fluffing up in excitement. I smiled happily, not thinking about how we would get back up.

"Wait, Mosskit….your pelt, I can see through it! And it has stars in it!" I squealed in surprise. She told me I did too.

"Do you think anyone can see us…? Look, Bluestar and Speckletail are over there. Let's go try it out."

We walked up to the two female cats, standing to the side of them.

"Wait, I hear something." Bluestar muttered. She looked in our direction, making her azure gaze widen.

"Mosskit!"

"Snowkit!" The two queens gazed in awe at Mosskit and I. We raced forward to rub against our mothers, purring and rubbing our starry pelts against them. I looked up into my mother's peridot eyes.

"I thought you might've forgotten me." I whispered, a mix of emotions raging inside of me.

"I would never forget you Snowkit, why on earth would you think that? …wait, you can hear me!"

"Yes! I can hear you! I'm not deaf anymore, I can hear everything. I always did wonder what your voice sounded like."

"Well my voice is saying that I love you."

**Sorry that it wasn't very good. I'm trying to get back into practice haha. Next chapter coming soon.**


	13. Voice

**Hello! This chapter has to do with the most recent book from **_**Dawn of the Clans**_**, so yes, spoiler alerts. **

**I really need ideas and prompts in the comments to keep this story going :3 Thanks!**

SkyClan, Tiny Branch

During the DotC Arc

The warm, delightful scent of fresh-kill drifted into the air, making Tiny Branch's mouth water. The young tan and silver tom padded over to the pile of prey in the clearing, sniffing out the new squirrel that had just been dropped off.

"Hey, Tiny Branch! Why don't you go take that squirrel over to Star Flower?" Nettle's voice rang across the clearing. Disappointment sank in the older kit's stomach, but he picked up the bushy prey and brought it over to his mother's den anyway.

The golden she-cat raised her head as he entered, affection coming over her green gaze as she noticed the meal he held in his jaw. "For you," Tiny Branch explained, his voice muffled by the chestnut fur of the squirrel. Star Flower purred.

"Thank you, dear. How about you go and find something to share with your siblings?" She encouraged, sniffing the fresh-kill as he placed it in front of her. "I think Quick Water's hunting patrol should be back anytime soon. They should be back right before Clear Sky and the others leave for the gathering."

Excitement surged through the tom's belly, quickly replacing the disappointment. "Okay! Maybe they'll bring back another squirrel." He meowed hopefully, turning out of the bramble den to find his siblings.

When he emerged into the clearing, he spotted Dew Petal and Flower Foot almost right away. The two of them were pretending to stalk something, probably a pretend piece of prey.

"Hey, guys," he walked up to them, "you're not going to catch anything if your tails are swishing wildly in the air like that."

"Oh, be quiet, like you would've done better!" Dew Petal replied indignantly, Flower Foot coming up from behind her.

"I probably would have." Tiny Branch teased, reaching out to bat his sister's nose. The three of them began to play fight a bit until a strange reek hit their nose.

"Ew, what is that? It smells like rotting prey." Flower Foot whined, screwing up her nose. Their clanmates around them noticed it too, all sitting up in alarm.

A low growl came from the bushes behind Tiny Branch.

"Fox!" A cat screeched. Panic spread like wildfire throughout Tiny Branch's body, making his eyes go wide and fur fluff up. His sisters quickly sprinted in the direction of Star Flower's den, diving into the safety of the tightly woven brambles. Tiny Branch raced to do the same, but a large paw slammed down onto his tail, stopping his mid-sprint. He cried out for help, and the other warriors quickly surrounded the fox, ready to pounce.

"That's my kit! Don't you dare touch him!" Clear Sky's yowl rang as he climbed out of his den. He leaped onto the mangy fox's back, gripping tight and biting down hard into its back. The fox howled in pain, and quickly removed it's paw from where it held Tiny Branch. _Finally!_ The tom once again tried to run, but the fox had swooped down its jaws just as quickly as his paw was lifted. Pain seared through Tiny Branch as sharp teeth sank into his flanks, tearing through the skin and muscle. He screeched louder than he thought possible, the fire on his skin feeling like it would eat him all up. His vision blurred as the fox shook itself, trying to get Clear Sky off of its back. TIny Branch was thrown back and forth in the grip of its jaws, only making the wounds deeper.

The other cats who had stood waiting to attack all jumped on the fox at once, clawing at its eyes, ears, and flanks. Eventually, the fox couldn't take anymore, and it dropped the big kit and retreated into the bushes.

"Follow it, and make sure it doesn't come back!" the SkyClan leader ordered. Alder, Red Claw, and Sparrow Fur teared after the fox, disappearing through the bushes.

"My kit!" A pained wail sounded from somewhere in the camp. Tiny Branch recognized Star Flower's meow. "Acorn Fur, help!"

The chestnut-colored medicine cat was already running out of her den, mouth full of cobwebs. Panic glazed her eyes as she frantically pressed the webs to the deep wounds in Tiny Branch's body , which had started to pool out blood.

Tiny Branch felt so much pain the he was going numb. His vision was blurred, and his breathing shallow and uneven. He gasped for air, but it felt like needles were jabbing him in the lungs every time he inhaled. The kit could feel nothing but pain, but at the same time, nothing but serenity.

Tiny Branch had no idea how long he laid there, on the verge of death. Soon enough, he noticed the other medicine cats race into the camp, all crouching by his side. By then, Tiny Branch could hear nothing but the beat of his own heart, and so their mouths moved silently. His vision edged into blackness, and slowly, he began to fade.

"Tiny Branch!" Star Flower called, fear encasing her cry. It was the last voice he heard.


	14. Betrayal

**Oooh, hello there, fellow adventurers! (if anyone got that reference, yay)**

**First, check out the bolded italics under this. Also, I'm stopping giving my excuses and wasting words in long A/Ns. (I've gone back through old chapters and taken out long, unnecessary A/Ns).**

**Thanks to all of those who actually are still sticking with this story, and for everyone who has reviewed. :)**

_*******Pawsteps will now have a new chapter out once a week (100% promised for the next five weeks) and I can only post more chapters if there are prompts! Thanks :)********_

ThunderClan, Ivypool and Hawkfrost

After Dark Forest Battle

The first cool breeze of leaf-fall whisked Ivypool's fur as she padded into the clearing, sending a chill down her spine. She had just come back to camp with the last patrol of the day, and their hunting had been successful.

"Hey, young 'un, would you bring that fresh-kill over here to us? Graystripe's really craving rabbit." Purdy meowed from across the clearing. With a polite nod, Ivypool trotted over to the elder's den where he was laying with Graystripe.

Both of their pelts were sleek and well groomed, proving the good care they had received the past greenleaf. The upcoming leaf-fall was the second since the battle against the cats of the Dark Forest. Memories of the blood-bathed battle poured into Ivypool's mind, and she quickly tried to shake them off with a ruffle of her fur.

"Ivypool! Do you want to go for a walk?" Dovewing asked, walking up to her sister's side and breaking her from her thoughts.

Ivypool shook her head. "No, I'm a little tired. I'm going to head into the den and rest. Sorry."

"It's no problem," she responded, turning to run up to Bumblestripe. The fluffy grey tom greeted her with a lick to the ear, and Ivypool couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards the closeness of the two.

Forgetting her envies, the silver and white she-cat walked into the apprentice's den, where she had been sleeping for a while since there was no more space in the warriors' den. Curling up into her warm, mossy nest, she tucked her nose into her paws and soon drifted off into the dark vastness of sleep.

"Get up!"

Pain seared Ivypool's flank like a fire as she felt claws rip through her fur. With a screech of pain, she leaped up from her sleeping position and whirled around to see her attacker. However, after a moment of looking around, she realized that she was no longer in her comfortable bramble den. Instead, she was standing in a beautiful meadow, surrounded by vibrant flowers and lush, green grass. _This is the meadow where I first started to train for the Dark Forest,_ she recalled with some confusion. Before she could wonder about it anymore, teeth clamped down on her tail, causing her to yowl and whip around to shake of whoever it was. The tight jaws set her tail free, and she sprang up with her claws outstretched to land on the cat in front of her. Shock ran through her body as her deep sapphire eyes met a familiar pair of icy blue ones.

_Hawkfrost…?_

She was about to say something when his claws raked down her soft belly fur, causing her to clumsily on the grass where he had been standing a heartbeat ago.

"Never let your guard down! You should know better!" He snarled before leaping to pounce on her. She scrambled away and got to her paws just a mouse length from where he landed.

"Y-you're supposed to be dead! I saw Brambleclaw kill you a second time! I s-saw you disappear!" She spat, stunned by confusion and the adrenaline of battle. Rather than responding, the massive tom let out a wordless yowl before launching himself in her direction. Using a move he had taught her long ago, she dodged and raked her claws through his pelt while he was still in midair, before turning and rounding on him when he landed. He was ready for her, however, and quickly flashed out a large paw that sent her flying to the ground. He jumped on top of her, pinning her on the ground. She struggled to get free, but she was no match for the weight of his body.

"I trained you! I trusted you! I made you a Dark Forest warrior, and you betrayed me!" He screeched, his fur bristling. Ivypool did not give a response, rather stared back at him coldly. His icy blue eyes were filled with fury and betrayal, but there was something else. It couldn't be- affection?

Whatever she had seen was gone, because in an instant he was raking his claws through her beautiful silver and white fur, causing even more blood to stain it. Ivypool screamed and tried to wrestle herself free, but her effort was still to no avail. Blood welled from her belly as well as some scratches on her side as she panted, realizing that her old mentor planned on killing her. StarClan, help me! She inwardly pleaded, hoping desperately that they could hear her even in this forbidden meadow. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting to feel his jaws clamp down on her throat in a killing bite.

However, it did not come.

The weight off of her lifted, and Ivypool opened her eyes to see that Hawkfrost was standing in front of her, staring right at her. The anger that had lit them a moment ago was gone, replaced with nothing but sorrow.

"Hawkfrost, I-" she started, but an inky black pooled her vision, and she felt like she was plummeting endless to her death. She let out a strangled cry as she fell farther, farther, farther down into the dark abyss.

"Ivypool? Ivypool, wake up!"

A paw frantically jabbed her side, hitting the still fresh claw marks on her flank. With a gasp of pain her eyes flew open, only to see Dovewing's light green ones staring frantically back at her.

"Are you okay? You were tossing and turning and- oh, great StarClan, you're bleeding! I'll go fetch Jayfeather, stay here!" She meowed urgently, plunging out of the bramble den. The metallic scent of blood quickly filled the air as it continued to ooze from her wounds. The cats around her began to stir as their noses twitched at the gagging scent. Panicking, Ivypool desperately tried to pull herself out of the den, despite what Dovewing had told her. Before she could make it out, Jayfeather's silhouette appeared against the entrance, outlined in moonlight.

"Ivypool! What happened?!" He demanded as he started to furiously lick her wounds. By now, the other cats around her were fully awake, staring at her in shock and confusion. Too tired and shocked to answer the blind medicine cat, Ivypool laid her head on her paws, trying to ignore the stinging sensation coming from all of her wounds. Jayfeather gave up on trying to get her to speak, and instead focused on treating her cuts. She stared into nothingness as questions whirled through her mind, and she struggled to find out which one to try and answer first.

As she closed her eyes, the only thing she could see was the cold image of his eyes, staring at her through the darkness, pooling with sadness and betrayal.


	15. Dying

**By the way, in Chapter 9 and Chapter 14 (the one about Birchfall, and the one about Ivypool) just a notice in case it was confusing- neither of them died, it just kind of seemed that way. Sorry!**

*****And please….I NEED **_**prompts.**_*******

**Also, im posting from my phone (im on a trip) so if formatting is messed up, I am so sorry!)**

ThunderClan, Foxleap

Post-Dark Forest Battle

Pain. Stinging, itching, burning pain. That was all he could feel. Racing up and down his flanks, across his ears, through his neck- it was everywhere.

Foxleap knew he was dying. He may be no medicine cat, but he could smell the rotting scent infection just as well.

It wasn't the dying that scared him, no. Rather, his clan. How would they survive the coming leaf-bare after the treacherous battle? All of them had wounds. All were hungry. Sickness, most likely greencough, had already started to spread. His own sister, Icecloud, had began wheezing and struggling for air. He was scared that his clan would die out while he would be stuck in StarClan, forced to watch his them all struggle without him being able to do anything to help save them.

He would be useless.

"Foxleap? Can you hear me?"

The russet warrior turn his head groggily to where Jayfeather was standing. Through his blurry vision, he made out the blue-gray medicine cat in the back of the den, scrounging up the last few herbs he had in his store.

"Yes." He whispered weakly, his voice not have been being used in a quarter moon.

"Good. I need you to eat these herbs," he pushed a green-brown pulp towards him, "and then try to drink some more. I'll send Brightheart to get you some water. Try not to move to much- your wounds are...slightly infected." He finished, turning back to his now-empty storage. Foxleap knew his wounds were more than 'slightly' infected.

Sighing, he painfully stretched his neck to lap at the herbs, but stopped immediately.

"Jayfeather, I can't eat these herbs, they are the last ones in you have. You need to save them for the clan. I'm dy-"

"Don't say that!," the blind cat hissed, the fur rising on the back of his neck, "I'm not letting another cat die! I will not let you die!" Jayfeather kept talking, but by the time he had finished his rant, Foxleap was already nodding off, sinking into the inky black of unconsciousness.

After his bicker with Jayfeather, Foxleap did not wake much, or for a long time if he did. He had visions, of him as a kit, playing with his sister with their mother, Ferncloud, lovingly looking on. Then, he was in the all-too-familiar forest he loved, learning how to hunt for the first time with Squirrelflight telling him to stop wriggling his tail. Next, his warrior ceremony, as he stood proudly next to his sister and listened to Firestar grant them their earned names. 3

His life continued in flashing blurs, sometimes getting confused with others, and sometimes there was nothing but black. Occasionally, he would feel Jayfeather rasping his tongue over his aching wounds which he knew would never heal. He believed, at one point, that his sister had come to see him, worried for his health. He did not get to speak to her. His throat would not allow it.

How long this process went on, he was not sure. He felt like it could've been moons, but for all he knew, it had only been a few sunrises.

"Foxleap, wake up. Don't die, please don't die."

"Foxleap, please. I can't let another warrior die from this wretched battle!"

Jayfeather's voice was constantly ringing in his head. He couldn't tell if it was real or not. All he could think about was his upcoming death, and the health of his beloved clan.

"J-Jayfeather…?" he whispered hoarsely, his eyes staying closed. There was no response. He wasn't in the den.

_Good...I hope he's out collecting herbs for the clan...I don't need them anymore._

"Thank you."

He did not take another breath.


	16. Failed

**Prompt from ReadingAnimeLover. Her OC is in this, thanks for the prompt and character!**

**However, I am trying to keep Pawsteps only with Erin Hunter's cats, and not OCs, so please, do not give in OCs. Thanks!**

**Important: This chapter will only make sense to the reader if they read the Super Edition "Bramblestar's Storm".**

Enjoy :)

Jessy, Wilderness

After the Great Storm

Agonizing claws of pain ripped through Jessy's belly, causing spasms like fire to grip her where she stood. Gritting her teeth, she took a few shaky steps forward, but collapsed on the forest floor. I need to get somewhere safe, she stressed, looking around her surroundings. She spotted an old tree hollow and quickly decided that it would be enough. Pulling herself forward with her front paws, she laid down in the empty great oak.

Powerful spasms rippled through the she-cats body, each one more painful than the last. The musty smell of dead bracken leaves made it hard to breathe, causing her even more problems.

Jessy panted and groaned as the spasms grew quicker and stronger, and she let her claws sink into the ground to try and still the pain. It felt like moons before she felt the first kit slip out, and she turned around roughly to see a small, unmoving scrap of light brown tabby fur. _A beautiful she-cat._

Ignoring her pain, she strained her neck to lap at the fur of her kit, licking it the wrong way to dry her and get her blood flowing. The tiny kit shuddered as if waking from a long sleep, and started to mewl. Jessy sighed with relief, but a heartbeat later, another spasm gripped her. Letting out a screech of pain, she felt another kit enter the world. She once again turned to lick the kit, who was another she-cat, this time a sandy and bracken colored tortoiseshell. Jessy's stomach loosened, letting go of all the tension. Relief washed over her, and she turned to lick her second daughter. The kit mewled once, but then her tiny body gave a small jerk, and lay still. Jessy froze.

"No! Wake up, wake up!" Jessy shrieked, her voice hoarse. She began to rapidly lick her daughter, but she did not stir. Not giving up, she picked her up and placed her by her belly, urging her to suckle next to her sister. Still she did not make a sound.

Despair fell over Jessy has she buried her nose in the mottled tortoiseshell pelt of her dead daughter. She drew in her milky scent before turning to nuzzle her other kit.

With a sudden jolt anxiety, Jessy realized that the tabby she-kit was not breathing. Panicking, she tried to lick her daughter awake, but stopped as soon as a powerful ripple passed through her body. The pain kicked back up again as Jessy was thrown into yet another labor.

Jessy let out a screech as she tried in vain to rouse her dead kit, while also giving birth to another. After one more powerful contraction, the last kit was born. Swamped with grief, Jessy did not feel that she could turn to look at her last kit. However, she still forced herself to turn around to begin licking the kit. She opened her glossy eyes to see him, her son, a handsome chocolate brown tabby tom- an identical version of his father.

Drawing in a sharp breath at the eerie resemblance, Jessy started to lick him and place him by her belly next to his dead sisters. He immediately began to suckle, proving that he was healthy.

After what had seemed like an endless eternity of agony, Jessy fell into a deep, sorrowful sleep.

It had been almost a moon since her kitting, and Jessy was still trying to shake off the grief of her two dead kits. Her son, however, was healthy, happy, and full of energy- almost too much for Jessy.

"Jessy? Are we going to eat yet?"

"No, Redkit. We will hunt at sundown."

"Okay."

Jessy looked down at her kit, who was getting bigger by the day. She had named him Redkit in honor of the clans. His eyes had opened not long after he was born to reveal a scorching amber, the exact hue of his father's. It was almost hard to look at him, since he was so alike the cat she loved. She left the clans because of her love. She knew she couldn't get in between Squirrelflight and Bramblestar.

Yet, here she was, walking through the forest with his son trailing behind her.

Every time she looked into Redkit's eyes, she saw Bramblestar. The warmth, the affection, everything that made her want to run back to ThunderClan every day. She was forced to go through the same longing every day, every time she glanced at her kit.

She had buried her daughters (which she had named Leafkit and Honeykit) and taken residence outside of ShadowClan territory. She felt far away from Bramblestar, but not separated- especially since she felt like she was looking into his eyes every sunrise.

"Jessy, why don't you talk to me that much?" Redkit inquired, looking up with an innocent expression. Jessy felt her heart crack.

She wanted to love her kit. She wanted to.

But she couldn't.

Redkit was now two moons old, and he had begun to try climbing bushes and pouncing on leaves. He had the strength and powerful build of his father, and also the small times of clumsiness, too.

He's so alike him, I can't even bear to look at him. It hurts too much. I cannot properly raise him like he needs to be.

"Redkit, we're going to go somewhere special today. It's going to be an adventure! Do you want to go?" Jessy croaked, trying to sound joyful.

"Yes, yes! Where are we going? Is it far away? Is it cool? Is there a lot of prey?" He bubbled, bouncing on his paws.

Jessy did not respond, but walked into the forest, beckoning him with her tail. She was headed in the direction of ShadowClan. _He will be better taken care of there._

"Jessy, what is that smell? It smells like...cats! And a lot of them!" Redkit squealed, bouncing further ahead. Jesy continued to stay silent.

"Hey, I smell intruders, I think it's a rogue!" A voice growled from the territory ahead of them. Jessy was still out of sight.

"Alright, Redkit. I need you to stay here, ok? I'll be back soon." Jessy whispered.

"You will come back, right?" Her son responded, his amber eyes widening.

_No._

With a small, lie of a nod, Jessy turned around and sprinted into the undergrowth. She could feel his gaze burning into her from behind, and he wailed her name once or twice. Every motherly urge screamed at her to go back and comfort him, and take him back.

But she could not.

* * *

Many, many seasons had passed, and Jessy had decided to live outside WindClan territory. Her pelt had become matted, her ears were nicked and scarred from fights with other rogues, and her once-bright eyes were dull and sinking with sorrow. She had lost the love of her life, and then thrown away his kit like rotten fresh-kill. She felt horrible.

It was not until one day, when the she-cat had decided to take a stroll around the Clan territories, that she saw a Clan cat for the first time since Bramblestar. She had been sprinting through the forest outside of ShadowClan- she did not like the memories and nightmares that were created there and was trying to get out as quickly as possible. A border patrol had seen her, and immediately gave chase. She shrieked that she was not in their territory, but they ignored her.

"Please, please stop! I didn't trespass, I didn't do anything!" She wailed, trying to fight back even when she was outnumbered.

"You were too close to the border, foxbreath!" One tom hissed, leaping on her and pinning her to the ground. Blood blurred her vision in one eye as it welled from a cut, and she struggled in vain to get free of the powerful tabby atop her. His muscles rippled underneath his sleek, dark brown fur, and his amber eyes burned into hers with fury.

_No…_

"...Redkit?" She whispered, her voice cracking. She was slowly losing air from under his weight.

The tom above her froze, his eyes widening in confusion and surprise.  
"It's Redfeather! I'm not a kit. How do you know my name?!" He demanded, his claws sinking into her fur. She winced and let out a whimper. Screwing her eyes shut. She was panicking, she didn't know how to respond, or how to get out of the tussle.

"I said, how do you know my name?!" He spat again. His companions were now closer, tightening in a threatening circle around Jessy. She opened her eyes and looked at her son.

His dark brown pelt had a slight tinge of russet to it, and his amber eyes had gained some ash-grey flecks in them. He was strong, handsome, and healthy- and looked like the reflection of Bramblestar.

"You...you look just like your father…"

Redfeather's eyes widened in recognition and shock, and memories started to flood his vision. "Jessy…" His eyes narrowed to slits as he said her name.

She gasped at the sound of her name- she had not heard it since he last said it to her. She gazed up at her beautiful son with emotion pooling in her eyes, but the only gaze he returned was shock and anger. A quiet, distrustful, melancholy anger.

"You abandoned me. I have a new home now. I don't want to ever see you again. Leave, before my patrol makes you." He hissed, getting off of her and backing up. When she didn't move, his lips curled back into a snarl and the patrol took a few steps forward. Looking at her son one last time, Jessy sprinted into the wilderness, blood dripping down her face and flank. She did not care about her physical pain. All she could feel was the agony in her heart.

She had failed.


	17. Returning

**Prompts, please. Enjoy. :) By the way, formatting is messing up recently, so sorry phrases are shifted incorrectly.**

Place of No Stars, Darkstripe

Before Dark Forest Battle

"Duck down lower, Darkstripe! You've been working on this move for moons, you should have learned it by now!"

"S-Sorry, Tiger-"

"No time for apologies, just go!"

Swallowing back a fretful sigh, Darkstripe bent back down into a crouch and stuck his hind leg out awkwardly. According to Tigerstar, the stretched out leg helped to make a leap go farther into the air, but it didn't seem likely. Shrugging off his questions, the dark-colored cat bunched his muscles and leaped into the air. Once high enough he flipped so his back was towards Tigerstar, who was below him. Darkstripe stretched out a forepaw to insure his landing and rake his claws across Tigerclaw's back, but he was too late. The large cat had already dodged and leaped up next to him, so when Darkstripe hit the marshy ground, he landed on top of him. With frustrated snarl, Tigerstar sank his thorny claws down into Darkstripe's shoulders, causing him to let out an agonized screech.

"You've failed, again! Get out of my sight before I claw you to pieces, you ignorant excuse of a cat! Hawkfrost can train you tomorrow. At least he knows how to fight." Tigerstar hissed, walking away into the darkness. Darkstripe winced at his harsh words before turning the opposite directions.

_Why am I here?! Why does everyone here hate me and treat me no better than a piece of fresh-kill?! Do I look weak?! I am not! I can beat Hawkfrost any day, I'm much older and more experienced than him! _Angry thoughts swirled around Darkstripe's mind, distracting him from the change of scenery around him. He did not noticed that the dark and droopy pines were giving way to luscious, green oaks, or that the inky black sky was fading into a light blue.

Darkstripe broke from his thoughts as a cream-colored shape flew across his path. _A rogue? In the skies? _Before he could try and find an answer, sharp claws raked across his flank. Darkstripe let out a yowl of pain and spun into a defensive position. His attacker was crouched in the bushes, waiting to spring another attack. He was about to launch himself into the undergrowth and drag out the rogue until he recognized the blue eyes staring back at him.

"Longtail…?"

The striped cat narrowed his eyes and leaped out of hiding, pinning Darkstripe to the ground.

"How do you know my name?!" Longtail demanded, lips curled back.

"Longtail, I'm your former mentor, Darkstripe!" He snarled back, struggling to get out under his weight. Confusion flicked across Longtail's gaze before realization flooded them. He stepped off of Darkstripe, ears pinned back warily.

"You...you're in the Dark Forest. How did you get here? You aren't allowed in StarClan's grounds!" He stuttered, sinking his claws into the green grass.

"I was walking and didn't realize I had come here."

"That's not the mentor I used to know." Longtail muttered darkly, the black tip of his tail twitching.

"Excuse me?"

"My mentor was always aware of where he was and who was around him. You, however, got lost in the skies and easily approached and attacked by me."

"I was thinking. And, I taught you everything you know. I'm ten times the better warrior than you were," Darkstripe commented dryly, unsheathing his claws, "would you like to test my statement?"

"Not worth it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to my territory, and you should shrink back to that stinking, starless marshland," Longtail hissed, "where you belong."

A pang of jealousy hit Darkstripe, dreams of plentiful prey and blue skies pooling into his mind. _Take me with you,_ he wanted to beg his apprentice, but he knew he could not seem so desperate.

Longtail stood in front of him, his cold gaze burning into his pelt, waiting for him to leave. Darkstripe matched his stare and fluffed up his fur, making him seem more threatening. The air crackled with silence and tension as the former clanmates faced each other.

"Go home, Darkstripe. StarClan threw you out for a reason." Longtail repeated, whisking around and stalking back into the beautiful forest behind him.

Letting out a hiss of annoyance, Darkstripe turned around clawed at the dead grass in frustration.

"You should've attacked him." A cruel voice drifted from the dead pine above him. Darkstripe looked up and felt shock run through his body as he met Tigerstar's burning amber gaze. The burly tom leaped from the tree, landing squarely in front of Darkstripe. Shrinking back in fear, the ash grey cat waited for a lash across the ear.

"Fool, you should've killed him! A Dark Forest warrior shows no mercy!"

"I'm sorry Tigerstar, n-next time I'll-"

"There won't _be_ a next time. In fact, I have a mind to kill you right here and right now, so you will release one burden off my shoulders." He hissed, smiling maniacally and showing his yellowing teeth.

Darkstripe's eyes widened as panic raced through his veins, and he felt his blood go cold with terror. Without thinking, he whipped around and raced away, farther into the undergrowth, looking for some kind of rogue territory where he could go. Anywhere, away from Tigerstar.

He could hear the evil cat behind him, laughing, his voice dying farther and farther out as Darkstripe got away.

After running for what felt like moons, the terrified cat slowed his pace and looked around at his surroundings. Surrounding him were trees, much like the ones in the Dark Forest, but with a few sparse oaks in between them. The scent of warm fresh kill drifted across the air, but Darkstripe was too tired to hunt. Instead, he wandered through the trees until he found a sturdy-looking beech tree. It reminded him of the one in the old ThunderClan territory, where he practiced climbing as an apprentice. Making up his mind, the lonely tom used his claws to haul himself up the tree and found a wide branch to rest on. Curling up into a ball of grey and black fur and setting his head on his paws, Darkstripe closed his eyes. For the first time in a long while, peace flooded his mind and body. His legs did not ache from running and his chest did not burn from the cold air. His wounds from Longtail were numb, and he was no longer panicking about Tigerstar.

He knew his leader could come and find him, yes, easily- but he did not care.

Maybe his former apprentice had been right. Maybe he did belong to the Dark Forest.

However, as far as Darkstripe was concerned, he would not be returning.


	18. Fate

**Writing in math class because screw geometry :)**

Place of No Stars, Mapleshade

Before Dark Forest Battle

Yowls of fury, cries of pain, and shrieks of victory and loss echoed in the air. The sounds had become as familiar as birds singing in the trees (although, there were no singing birds in the Dark Forest) to Mapleshade, and she sat contentedly beneath a prickly holly bush. She watched her two apprentices, Breezepelt and Hollowpaw, battling on the marshy ground in front of her. They were screeching and biting and clawing- with, of course, claws unsheathed- to push the other to their limit. Breezepelt was more experienced, older, and more confident than Hollowpaw. It was almost definite that the inky black tom would win. The apprentice, however, still did not give up. _Good. He needs to be challenged._

Within a few more heartbeats, Breezepelt was standing triumphantly over Hollowpaw, pinning him to the ground.

"Get off of me!" The small tabby cat hissed, struggling under his defeater's grip. Before freeing him, Breezepelt bared his teeth in an arrogant smile. Mapleshade smirked and emerged from her comfortable spot in the undergrowth.

"Very nice. You two are both getting better. We need warriors like you to defeat the….future evils that may come upon us." the calico she-cat conceded, careful to avoid the real reason they were in that dreary forest.

"Thank you, Mapleshade. What are we doing next?" Breezepelt asked eagerly, his amber eyes stretched wide with curiosity.

"Actually, it's almost dawn at the lake, so you should be heading home." She responded, flicking her snowy tail. She watched as the two cats closed their eyes and faded from sight, back to their cozy nests with the Clans.

"Mapleshade!" A voice called from a distance. Mapleshade turned around to see Hawkfrost beckoning her with his tail. She padded towards him noticing that most of the training cats had left, and their mentors had begun the find places to sleep.

"What do you want? Has that wretched apprentice of yours run away? I wouldn't be surprised if she backed out of this." She hissed as she approached Hawkfrost.

"Who, Ivypool? Yes, she's gone back to her nest. She's not wretched," he added with a spark in his icy blue eyes, "and I'm planning on making her a true Dark Forest warrior soon."

"Oh, are you now?" Mapleshade rolled her eyes, "she's worth nothing more than a maggot."

"Don't speak of my apprentice like that! She's a better warrior than any Clan cat here." Hawkfrost snarled back, sinking his claws into the mud.

"Whatever. Anyways, what did you originally call me over for?"

"Tigerstar's calling a meeting. We're deciding who's leading attack groups for each Clan. You're a senior warrior, so you're needed there." The muscled tom snarled, baring his teeth.

"Tell him I'm not going. I have something else to do."

"You can't do that, he's your leader!"

"I've been here longer than any cat. I can do whatever I want!" Mapleshade retorted, whisking around and stalking off. Hawkfrost gave a snort of disgust before heading off.

Mapleshade trotted through the trees, turning up dead leaves with her claws as she passed. Finally, she came upon a small, muddy puddle. She dabbed at the stagnant water with her paw, disrupting its complete stillness. The ripple grew and grew, until the puddle seemed to grow in size. The churning brown water cleared up, revealing something resembling a reflection or a mirror. The now crystal water revealed a new setting, one of oak and birch trees, with prey running through the undergrowth. Mapleshade felt a stab of envy at the easy catches in that territory, but it was soon replaced with burning hatred. It was sunset in the presented landscape, a perfect time for sneaking. Brokenstar had found this small puddle, and it turned out to be a way of passing into the Clan's territory. Tigerstar had declared that on the night of the final attack, they (mentors and apprentices) would use this pond to travel to the territory of the living.

Shaking out her fur, Mapleshade bunched her muscles and leaped into the center of the water, shivering at it's surprisingly cold touch. For a fleeting heartbeat, she was falling through black, empty space, until she landed with a quiet thud on a forest floor next to another puddle.

_That wasn't too bad._

Mapleshade knew her scent was too old and unrecognizable, so she did not take time to try and cover her fur with mud. Quietly, she trotted to the ThunderClan camp, skirting in between bushes and trees for cover. Before long, she had reached the top of the stone hollow. If she wasn't careful, she would fall off the cliff, straight into the middle of the clan's camp and break her neck.

The calico she-cat crept up to the edge and crouched down, peering at the cats moving below her. A couple of kits were playing near a large, den, which was probably the nursery. A hunting patrol trotted through the entrance, all carrying pray.

As she watched, a muscular, flame-colored tom emerged from a den, and a pretty sandy she cat followed him. An instant flick of hatred sparked in Mapleshade's mind.

The she-cat lay down in the orange sun with her mate, sharing tongues with him. Soon, two other cats padded over to join them, and they started in a happy chatter.

As Mapleshade looked on at the happy cat with her loyal mate and full-grown, healthy kits, she could not stop a furious fire from rising within her. It took every drop of her control to keep herself from springing down at her and tearing her to shreds.

_She...she has everything I wanted. Everything I ever needed, everything I deserved! And she didn't have to go through what I did!_

After a while, the auburn sky soon faded to a light indigo, and bright stars started to rise in the sky. The pretty she-cat below had risen with her mate and returned to their dens for the night. Reluctantly, Mapleshade stood up and stretched her muscles before quietly padding back to the murky puddle. She held her breath as she jumped through and landed back in the Place of No Stars, her home.

Mapleshade's thoughts swirled with images of the she-cat named Sandstorm and her trustful mate. Her kits, her two daughters, living and healthy with a Clan that was proud of them. Then her mind was flooded with pictures of Appledusk*, and her three, dead kits with their sodden fur sticking to their flanks*. Jealousy, fury, and envy coursed through her veins, eventually helping to pull her into a lulling sleep.

_One day, I will kill her in the most torturous way, for having everything I deserved._

_She cannot escape her fate now._

***Appledusk was Mapleshade's mate who betrayed her.**

***She had three kits (two sons and a daughter) who drowned.**

**That's from Mapleshade's Vengeance (Novella) in case you read it. :)**


	19. Away

**Awesome thanks to WyldClaw, PitchBlackRose, FerncloudxDustpelt and others for reviewing so much! You guys really helped these chapters come along. More prompts are still really helpful :D**

**Enjoy. :)**

ShadowClan, Tigerheart

Post-Dark Forest Battle

He couldn't get her out of his mind. Her smooth, silver fur, her brilliant green eyes, and her wonderful, flowery scent. Everything he looked at reminded him of her. He couldn't let her go.

And yet, she had been able to let him go. Just like that. After everything they had done together, after all the time he had known her, she just forgot him, all for that wretched mouse-brain, Bumblestripe.

He needed to see her again. He needed to breathe in her scent and run his tail along her fur.

Tigerheart crawled out of the bramble den and gave himself a quick groom. He headed out the entrance, telling the guards he was going for a walk.

Free of his clanmates' watchful gazes, he trotted through the forest, heading in the direction of the ThunderClan border. With luck, he would be able to catch her there. He had a slim chance of seeing her.

Twilight fell over the pine trees, casting strange shadows and hiding his dark tabby pelt. His heart gradually got faster and louder as he neared the border, wondering if he would see her.

_Please StarClan, let her be here, _he prayed inwardly, _although I guess I am going against your code._

Feeling a little guilty, he continued his way down a grassy slope to the border. By the time he reached his destination, the sky was indigo with silverpelt beginning to glisten. Crouching in a bramble bush, he waited for the slightest hint of Dovewing.

After what seemed like moons, the scent of ThunderClan washed over him. Tigerheart guessed it was the night patrol. Before long, voices reached his ears. Crouching lower into his hiding spot, he strained his ears to hear their conversation.

"...good prey so far. The squirrels are still pretty plump, for leaf-fall."

"Yes, but sometime's prey isn't enough to survive the upcoming leaf-bare."

"That's true. Some cats are still recovering from the battle. It's still too bad that Foxleap didn't make it…"

Their conversations slowly got louder, until he was able to pick out which were feminine and which were masculine. It wasn't long until an all-too-familiar sweet scent layered the area, causing a warm relief spread through Tigerheart's body. _She's here!_

"I hope no- hey, I smell ShadowClan," one cat said with a hiss.

"Well, we _are_ at the border, mouse-brain." Dovewing replied to her Clanmate. He could hear the worry masked by her sarcasm. She must have scented him, too.

Tigerheart searched the ground from his place in the undergrowth, until he finally could see a group of cats standing not too far away.

"It's fresh. They could still be here, hunting in our territory!" The cat -who he had recognized to be Cloudtail- snarled back, beginning to stalk closer to Tigerheart's hiding place. Struck with panic, he quickly tried to find away to escape the finding of his place. He was still inside ShadowClan borders, but if they found him hiding, the most likely outcome would be that he was spying on them.

"Don't worry. They probably just marked their borders. Tell you what, I'll stay here and check a bit, but the rest of you can go back to the clan. I have to make dirt, anyway." Dovewing added quickly. Thankful for her excuse, his fur began to lie flat again.

"Fine. But if there is a trespasser-" Cloudtail drove his gaze across the clearing, "-then don't hesitate to chase them off and come get us."

"Sounds good."

The rest of her patrol walked away, and Tigerheart waited until their pawsteps had faded to silence before he slid out of the bush to greet her.

"What are you doing here?! Tigerheart, we can't do this anymore!" Dovewing whispered, curling her lips in a snarl. Stung by her sharp words, he looked at the ground guiltily.

"I-I'm sorry, I just had to see you-"

"Oh, so you think you can betray my trust by training in the Dark Forest without telling me, say my sister attempted to murder a cat, and just show up here, like nothing is wrong?! You actually have the _nerve _to come here after doing all of that?! I barely just saved your pelt from Cloudtail! You would've been ripped to shreds!," her furious gaze turned hurt as she added in a whisper, "and I would have had to fight you."

Shocked by the final fragment of her words, Tigerheart looked up, his heart thudding harder and harder. "You're so much more amazing than I remember…" he whispered, his eyes locked with hers.

"Don't talk like that," she scolded quietly, embarrassedly licking her chest fur.

"Dovewing, I'm so sorry. And you're right. I don't deserve your trust, or your forgiveness." he murmured, taking a daring step forward.

The beautiful she-cat was silent for a few heartbeats, before finally responding.

"Tigerheart...I'm sorry. This is against the warrior code. It's not right Plus, Bumblestripe loves me, and he's in my clan-"

"But do you love him?" Tigerheart challenged, so close their noses almost touched. Fiery amber met forest green, and tension sparked in the small distance between them. Dovewing stared up at him, not sure how to answer the question. She screwed her eyes shut and buried her nose into his warm chest fur, breathing in his lovely pine scent.

"No. I do not love him. And though I may have feelings for you," she broke off, her eyes glistening, "we cannot be together." And with that, she whipped around and sped back to her home, where her family and friends awaited her. Tigerheart cried out after her, but it was to no use.

Heart filled with agony and sorrow, he watched her beautiful, silver figure race away into the trees, into the dark, never to be seen again.


	20. Impress

**Prompt from PitchBlackRose. Thanks for reviewing! :)**

ThunderClan, Bumblepaw (Bumblestripe)

Pre-Dark Forest Battle

A soft breeze rustled the green oak leaves atop the trees in the forest, carrying with it the warm and flowery scent of new-leaf. Bumblepaw crouched on the floor, as still as a stone so that he did not disturb his prey. The small brown mouse in front of him had not noticed him yet, and was still peacefully nibbling on the green grass in front of it. Bumblepaw took a cautious step forward, placing his large grey paws gently on the dead leaves. He wriggled his haunches in preparation to leap, already tasting the prey in his mouth.

"Bumblepaw!"

The mouse bolted upright, and upon seeing his predator in the grass, scuttled down back into it's hollow where Bumblepaw couldn't reach. Lashing his fluffy tail in frustration, the tom whipped around to see who had scared off his prey, but calmed down immediately when he realized it was Ivypaw.

"H-hi Ivypaw, what's up?" Bumblepaw mumbled, giving his chest fur a few embarrassed , his friend didn't notice he was flustered.

"Cinderheart, Lionblaze, and Mousewhisker want to do a group training. Dovepaw and them are already waiting at the hollow, so I was sent to get you." Ivypaw bubbled, obviously excited to learn their new techniques. The pretty she-cat didn't give him time to respond, but instead raced back along her path, leaving Bumblepaw no other choice but to leave his hiding prey and follow.

When they arrived at the hollow, the three mentors were deep in a discussion while Dovepaw leaped at a green leaf floating through the air. The small she-cat quickly noticed her sister arriving and raced over to meet her, leaving Bumblepaw standing awkwardly behind.

Bumblepaw had started noticing how attractive Ivypaw was growing. Her white and silver pelt was growing sleek, her shape had become quite graceful, and her endlessly deep blue eyes were still as crystal the lake at twilight.

"Alright, let's start practicing. Cinderheart, will you show them the new move?" Lionblaze meowed, interrupting Bumblepaw's dreamy thoughts. He shook out his fur and bounded over to watch Cinderheart perform the exercise. Sitting down next to Dovepaw, he began to listen and observe.

Cinderheart bunched up the muscles in her hind legs and leaped into the air, twisting at a stretched but elegant angle in order to slash at an invisible enemy. She landed neatly on her paws, in a ready fighting position. "We use this move to attack an enemy who rears up to attack us. When you're in the air, you need to be careful not to expose your belly, or else your foe can attack you from there. Who wants to try it first?" she explained, sitting down. Ivypaw was the first to bounce forward, and when Cinderheart gave her the signal, she imitated a perfect image of the move she had just observed. Pride rushed into Cinderheart's eyes, and she quickly gave her apprentice some praise. Bumblepaw and Dovepaw were just as shocked she was able to make it perfectly on her first, but still gave their excited praise to Ivypaw.

Dovepaw went next and completed the move just as well as her sister within three tries. Bumblepaw congratulated her, too, and it was finally his turn. Hoping to impress Ivypaw, he confidently wriggled his haunches and leaped into the air, only to fall down in a clumsy landing. His fur fluffed up in embarrassment as he sat upright and tried again, only to achieve the same result. By then, Ivypaw was trying to hide her laugh, while Dovepaw was encouraging him. Frustrated, he tried it again and again, and after a few more tries, he got close to what his friends had already accomplished.

The rest of the day, the three apprentices trained with their mentors. Ivypaw was always pulling in the lead, Dovepaw behind her, and Bumblepaw straggling behind. The annoyed tom tried to make excuses for his mistakes, but the two she-cats always just giggled and moved on.

By sunset their training was over, and the mentors were heading back to the camp. The three apprentices had decided to stay in the hollow for just a bit longer to practice more, but ended up just goofing off instead.

"Dovepaw, look what I can do!" Ivypaw squealed, jumping in the air and twisting all the way around before she landed.

"Oh yeah, I bet I can do that too!" her sister challenged, imitating Ivypaw perfectly. Annoyed that he couldn't do anything as well as them, Bumblepaw stalked off to the far edge of the hollow and sat down next to a tall birch tree. The black tip of his tail twitched impatiently, until he got an idea. _If I could climb this tree, and get higher than they could, then I could impress Ivypaw...and she might start to like me!_

"Hey guys, watch this!" Bumblepaw exclaimed, hooking his claws into the white bark. The two she-cats turned their attention to him as he started to claw his way up the old trunk. He got higher and higher, passing the first few branches that were sturdy enough for him to stand on.

"Bumblepaw be careful, the branches are thinning out up there, they might not be able to hold your weight!" Ivypaw warned cautiously, her voice quiet from where he was in the tree. "I'll be fine! I can make it to the top!" Bumblepaw yelled back, continuing his way up the tree, despite how dizzy he felt when he realized how far away the ground was.

Then suddenly, as if StarClan themselves willed him to stop climbing, a large gust of wind rammed into Bumblepaw, letting his grip go loose. He was only hanging on by one paw when the branch snapped, and he fell, hurtling to the ground below.

"Bumblepaw!" The sisters below screamed in unison, outvoiced by the on going shriek that emitted from Bumblepaw. He reached out with his claws to try and grab at the trunk, but he wasn't able to fully stop himself, only break his fall little by little. He landed on the forest floor with a large thud that made it feel like all his bones and muscles had shattered. The tom struggled for breath as his friends raced over to his side, bent over his side with worry. Bumblepaw closed his eyes, and all he could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears.

"Ivypaw, go get Jayfeather!" Dovepaw meowed urgently, and Bumblepaw felt a soothing tongue lick behind his ears He whimpered feebly and opened his amber eyes a little to see a beautiful pair of green ones looking down at him. They were bright, like a forest at sunset, the green of the leaves clinging to the very last bits of light drifting through the air.

"Don't worry, Bumblepaw, you're gonna be okay." She whispered softly, her voice soothing like honey and lavendar.

And in that moment, he realized that he loved her.


	21. Hers

**Prompt from PitchBlackRose! Thanks for your support! Reviews with constructive criticism and prompts would be great guys :) Enjoy! **

WindClan, Crowfeather

After Great Journey

He couldn't get her out of his mind. She walked his dreams, his nightmares, and everything else. She would grip his mind during the day in a way that he couldn't focus on anything else. Her long, feathery silver tail, her sleek and elegant form, her piercing blue eyes. He couldn't sleep peacefully without her padding through his mind. The memories they had shared would play through his mind- her teaching him how to fish, him getting stuck in a fence while being chased by dogs, hunting together and playing together and just being with each other. Those memories made his heart ache, but that wasn't the worst part. Suddenly, his memory-filled dream would warp into a nightmare, where they were in the cave with the Tribe and Sharptooth. She would look at him one last time before nodding and taking that flying leap, leaving him with his paws frozen on the ground. He could hear his own cry, but her shriek always outweighed it. Then she would be there; on the ground, broken, beautiful, and gone.

And he would be forced to have this run through his mind day after night, with nothing he could do to stop it. He grew so used to it that it was almost like he had began to use the terrifying pain as a comfort to ease the dullness of his current life.

But then, one day, another walked in. She was strong, confident, and put everyone before herself, like Feathertail. And she was _beautiful_. He had seen her a few times in the past but had not taken much notice of her, until she came to his clan in order to heal one of his dying clanmates.

Not soon after that, his dreams changed a little. The she-cat that kept him awake was not silver, but a sandy color that reminded him of the sun-drown-place at twilight. Her eyes were not blue, but green like the tops of oak trees glistening in the sun.

He didn't know if she had the same feelings as he did. It would be against the code for them to love, breaking the two most important laws. Yet sometimes, he would sit on the top of the ridge overlooking the lake, hoping with a burning passion that she would pass by. It was not until the Gathering did he see her again, sitting next to her sister. The moonlight bathed her fur, turning it from a sandy beige to a silvery birch color. And once again, he could not stop thinking of how beautiful she was.

That night, they made eye contact for this first time in a while. It took him by surprise, and he did everything he could to stop his fur from fluffing up in embarrassed excitement. He could've sworn she had heard his heart pounding in his chest. If she had, however, she did not say much, only gave him a polite nod and then turned back to her sister.

It was those moments that tortured him, when he was so close to her, but could not do anything but try to restrain his emotions. He wanted to entwine his tail with hers and touch his nose to hers, but he couldn't. It was killing him.

It wasn't until one terrible day where ShadowClan turned on ThunderClan that he saw her again. This time, she was not peacefully sitting near him. Rather, she was crying out to him for help, dangling from the side of a cliff, her eyes wide with panic. But in that moment he did not see her, but Feathertail. It was his second chance to save her. And even though he felt like his body and heart were frosted stone, he reached down and pulled her up, hauling her to safety.

And as he stood panting, looking at the fragile she-cat in front of him, he realized that he would never be able to stop loving her. She wasn't Feathertail, but that didn't matter to him. She was perfect, more flawless than anyone could ever be.

And as she looked back into his eyes, he realized that he was hers, and hers alone.

**A short, dialogue-less chapter of mush. Mushy mushy mush. :)**


	22. Home

**Prompt from JetTheGlaceon92! Thanks for the prompts guys. And just a thing- I won't be writing about any OCs, AUs, or anything that doesn't really follow the books by Erin Hunter. Thanks!**

**I'm currently visiting the USA right now, so the computer I'm posting this on may not do the formatting correctly...sorry!**

RiverClan, Graystripe

Post Silverstream's Death

The gurgling sound of the stream bubbled in Graystripe's ear, annoying him but soothing him at the same time. The sunlight pierced his thick gray fur, warming it with intense heat. The darkness of a drowsy sleep began to engulf the fluffy tom's vision

"Graystripe, Graystripe! Guess what I caught!" Came an energetic squeal. Suddenly the poking and prodding of paws let him know that there was a kit tumbling over him. Groaning, he opened his eyes to look at his son and daughter, looking at him with eyes as bright a blue as their mother's.

"Yes…? What did you catch?" he murmured, trying to keep his yellow eyes open against the harsh sun.

Stormkit proudly pulled out his paw, showing a yellow butterfly hooked to a tiny, sharp claw. He puffed out his dark grey fur in pride, making him look almost as thick-furred as his father.

"I helped him catch it, he didn't do it all by himself!" Featherkit chimed in, climbing up next to her brother. The two of them began to argue over who did the most work, making Graystripe chuckle. He stood up and shook out his fur, causing both of his kits to tumble to the ground. Chuckling, he bent down and fluffed out his fur and started lashing his tail back and forth.

"You can catch a butterfly, but I don't think you can catch me!" He challenged, earning his kits to turn back and look at him with excitement. Squealing in joy, they bounded after him. Graystripe slowed his pace enough so that they were almost always able to pounce on his tail. After a little bit of running round, he finally let them get him, and the triumphantly pinned him down with their tiny paws. They rolled around a bit in the soft green grass next to the stream, being cooled by the mist of the stream from the warm sunlight.

"Hey, mangy ThunderClan cat, do you think you can just join our clan and do nothing all day?" A sneer sounded from above them, Graystripe quickly stood up and swept his kits protectively behind him with his tail. In front of him was Blackclaw and his apprentice Heavypaw, and he instinctively let out a snarl.

"I went on dawn patrol and a hunting patrol already, I'm just playing with my kits. Leave us be." He hissed, forcing his fur to lie flat on his neck. Blackclaw let out a laugh and took a threatening step forward with his apprentice right behind him.

"Or what?" he sneered. It took everything in him to resist the temptation to leap out at the fox-hearted black tom and claw his ears off, but he realized that if he did such a thing, he would immediately be banished from RiverClan.

"Come on, kits. We'll go find another place to play." He muttered, stalking away. His two kits casted sad and confused glances at each other before following their father to the other end of camp.

As night fell, Graystripe brought his kits back to the nursery before retiring to his own nest in the Warriors den. While he tried to fall asleep, Blackclaw and Heavypaw would occasionally 'accidentally' tramp on his tail, making it seem like sleep was impossible. After a while of dealing with the annoyances, he decided he could take a walk in the moonlight. Luckily for him, Stonefur was on guard duty, and let him pass. He was one of the only cats in RiverClan who accepted him, and his only friend- other than his friends in ThunderClan.

As he padded quietly through the forest that was bathed in a silver moonlight, his thoughts encircled his birth clan and all of his friends and family there. _But I am in this clan for Silverstream,_ he reminded himself gruffly, and he started to try to be happy for her.

"_My love…_" a voice whispered in the winds, as clear as a bird's chirp but also completely faded. He whipped around with his fur bristling, ready to face the newcomer. However, there was nothing there. He shook his head and kept walking, figuring it was just his imagination.

"_I am here…"_ came the voice again, this time much louder. As Graystripe looked around, the stars in the sky spiraled down in a beautiful swirl and formed in the shape of a cat. A beautiful, slender, starry, she-cat. Her familiar blue eyes were the color of a crystal clear sky during green-leaf, swirled with the entrancing indigo of the sky that she now rested in. The stars were scattered across her long, silver pelt, and everything about her made his heart melt.

"Silverstream…" he whispered. She purred and rubbed up against him, letting her scent flood his nostrils.

"You are doing wonderfully raising our kits, my love. But you are not happy." She murmured, twining her tail with his. He breathed out ever so gently, as if he spoke too loudly, she would disappear.

"I am happy, are you not? I am raising our kits in RiverClan, for you!" He explained, touching his nose to hers.

"Oh Graystripe… I will only be happy if you are happy." She whispered sweetly, her voice smooth like honey. Without another word, her figure began to spiral back up into the sky in a starry whirl, scattering the sky with endless twinkling gems. A chill ran through his fur as he stood there, staring at the sky, trying to imagine how much he wanted to be with her.

He knew what she meant, and he wanted to believe it. And he did.

So he returned home.


End file.
